In an era when many women’s clubs are positioned as appendages of their men’s sides, F.C. Como Women are doing something bolder: crafting a stand-alone premium brand rooted in Lake Como’s culture—fashion, design, travel—and then threading football through it. That choice changes everything from how kits are launched, to where stories are told, to which partners they court.
This summer’s Nike reveal crystallised the approach. Instead of a functional jersey drop, Como Women staged a lifestyle-led moment around “The Next Wave”—a visual identity and campaign that feels as at home on Via Montenapoleone as it does at the touchline. The kits landed in select Milan Nike doors and online, and debuted on pitch at The Women’s Cup in Milan against Juventus—bridging fashion capital, destination club and elite competition in one move.
What They Did Differently
1) Rebranded as an independent women’s club with a clear aesthetic
Como Women didn’t lean on the men’s club equity. They pursued a deep rebrand—new visual system, calmer editorial palette, and a logo/voice closer to luxury fashion than traditional sport. Italian sports/style media called it one of the most compelling rebrands in football—and emphasised that Como Women are a separate company from Como 1907.
2) Chose partners that reinforce the brand story
The multi-year Nike partnership is positioned beyond kit supply; it’s a design-forward collaboration that signals craft and modern femininity without sacrificing elite performance—language you’d normally hear in couture, not kit notes. Specialist football/style titles noted the deal’s significance for a women-only Serie A club and the way the drop blurs sport and fashion.
3) Programmed the reveal like a lifestyle launch (not just a press release)
Distribution mattered: Nike Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Nike Arese (destination retail) alongside the club’s own e-commerce, plus a first on-pitch look at a marquee invitational in Milan’s historic Arena Civica. The timing, venues and visuals cast Como Women as a Milan-Como corridor brand, not simply a local team.
4) Built a women-first ownership and commercial thesis
Backed by Mercury/13, a women’s-football investment group with a stated plan to build sustainable women-led clubs, Como Women’s model prioritises women’s football on its own terms—capital, governance and partnerships aligned to the women’s game, not a residual budget line under a men’s entity.
5) Experimented with new revenue mechanics
They also piloted an innovative sponsorship with WeAre8, allocating a share of Italian ad spend on the platform to the club—blending media-tech economics with football IP and signalling an appetite for non-traditional monetisation.
6) Used the club site as a brand flagship, not just a fixture list
Como Women’s website reads like a modern brand hub—tight product storytelling (“The New Jerseys are here… ‘A declaration of belonging’”), clear store pathway, academy narrative and social integrations that match the minimal, editorial look introduced in the rebrand.
7) Signed talent that multiplies reach
Roster moves feed the brand flywheel. The summer addition of Alisha Lehmann—one of the most recognisable names in the women’s game—adds global social scale to the club’s Milan-Como positioning and amplifies partner value.
The Como Women Blueprint (Why it Works)
- Place before product: Lean into Lake Como as a luxury destination and Milan as a fashion capital; let football benefit from the halo. (Venue selection, retail doors, imagery all reinforce this.)
- Independence as proposition: By sitting outside a men’s club structure, Como can write a women-first playbook—brand architecture, partnerships, and governance tuned to its market.
- Partners that add culture, not just logos: Nike’s design storytelling, plus novel media/tech models (WeAre8), ladder up to a premium yet progressive identity.
- Stage moments, not announcements: A Milan launch + Women’s Cup debut turns a kit drop into a cultural event, creating earned media and premium perception.
- Talent as distribution: High-visibility players translate brand choices into global reach and sponsor conversion, especially in women’s football’s social-led economy.
How Clubs Can “Do a Como”?
1) Build a destination-centric brand system
- Define your place advantage (city, craft, culture), then encode it in kits, content and retail.
- Launch where culture happens (flagship retail, festivals, tournaments), not only in-stadium.
2) Architect independence (even if you share a badge)
- Separate women’s brand P&L, KPIs and partnership ladder.
- Women-first governance attracts investors for the women’s product.
3) Curate partners for story fit + operational value
- Prioritise partners that bring design credibility, tech utility, or novel revenue mechanics (e.g., content commerce, media-share).
- Use category “firsts” to cut through (fashion x football, Web3/media-share pilots).
4) Programme your calendar
- Tie product drops to competitive showcases (pre-season cups, city events).
- Treat each touchpoint as a capsule collection moment with premium assets and limited drops.
5) Sign for scale
- Target at least one player whose audience expands your brand beyond matchdays into lifestyle and mainstream culture.
Work With Us
At 365247 Consultancy, we help football clubs and sports properties design premium brand architectures, engineer new-gen commercial models, and stage launches that travel beyond sport. From rebrand roadmaps and partner matrices to capsule kit drops and Milan/Paris-style activations, we consult in building the full playbook.
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IMAGE: Como Women
