Behind the design of the Italy Women's National Team Away kit

On Monday 17th, adidas unveiled the new Away kits for the National Teams it will sponsor for the upcoming UEFA Women's EURO2025 this summer in Switzerland. The National Teams receiving a special kit created for the occasion are those of Italy, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Sweden, and Wales, while Northern Ireland and Scotland will play in kits already made for the men’s National Team, which were already available on the market.

For this important chapter, both for women’s football and for sports design in general, we had the chance to interview Roberta Stothard, Product Manager at adidas, who oversaw the development of the concept for the Italy women’s National Team and the other five teams. Last week, in advance, she had already shown us the design of the kits for the other National Teams: as is often the case when discussing the creation of football kits, the concept development was a long journey - “as always, a two-year-long process,” Roberta tells us - which deserves to be explored through her words.

We know the typical timeline for creating a kit for club teams or men’s National Teams (about two years). Was there any difference for the Italy women’s National Team kit?

«Absolutely not, it was the same. My team and I started working two years in advance of the release date. It was a creative journey that developed in steps, and, as is often the case, it started with research. With our research, our task was to find an authentic story that could unite all the National Teams participating, but, most importantly, one that players, fans, and members of the respective federations could identify with. After the research phase, which already defines what the concept will be, we enter a consulting phase where we consult with federation members, players, fans, discussing color, patterns, details, and the story to be told through the kit. For example, for Italy, we chose this green with red details from adidas.»

What are the next steps after the creation of the concept and consulting phase?

«Well, we send all the information and necessary materials to the factories of our supplier, adidas. This is a very important step, because that’s where the samples are created, which are then sent back to us for testing with the help of professional athletes. We make sure that the technologies and materials work and adapt perfectly, performing their intended function. Additionally, we make adjustments to the design on the samples: tweaks to the crest, the brand logos, and the Three Stripes. When everything is finalized and the respective Federations approve it, following UEFA regulations, production can begin. As Product Manager, I’m also involved in the communication and marketing of the product, though in this step I’m supported by other teams.»

What is the concept of the Italy National Team kit? And the others?

«The graphic on the Italy National Team kit is inspired by the Renaissance, as can be seen from the branches that characterize it, depicted all over the kit, present both on the front and back. Additionally, the logos of the Italy National Team and adidas are both positioned at the center of the chest, to better balance the design. On the backneck, the word "Italia" is included. It’s very simple, and for this launch, we thought telling the most significant artistic movements from each country could be an interesting story, where fans could feel represented. For example, Spain's kit is inspired by Cubism, and I'll show you that in a moment. Also, we plan to launch a collection for Italy, including a tracksuit, in June, but in a much darker green, already used by the Italy National Team in 2019, which will also be worn as the anthem jacket by Coach Soncin’s team.»

Can you tell us how the team managed to adapt the kit to the athletes' bodies?

«Before even thinking about the kit’s aesthetics, we worked on the fit to prioritize the athletes' bodies. The kits have a special regular fit, different from the men’s version, slightly looser. This is because athletes, on average, prefer more freedom of movement. To make this decision, we conducted a testing phase where we did real fittings with various athletes, with different body types. We also worked very specifically on the technology to create a perfect material for the athletes: this kit features both AeroReady and HeatReady, lightweight and designed to promote airflow.»

The shirt is available on the adidas website.