Bruges (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Club Brugge and MISMAS, led by Lia Steppe, launched a women’s fanwear line after surveying 600 female fans, reflecting growing recognition of women in football and global interest.
As VRT News reported, Club Brugge and Belgian fashion label MISMAS have launched a new clothing line designed for female supporters. MISMAS is run by Lia Steppe, a mother of 3 boys, and the partner of a sports enthusiast. Steppe noticed the demand for women’s fan apparel during visits to fan shops in Belgium and abroad.
Officials mentioned that to understand the needs of female fans, Club Brugge surveyed 600 women. The results showed that 85% of respondents said the current merchandise was inadequate. Nearly all, 99%, supported the creation of a separate line for women. 3 out of 4 women, 75%, said they would wear the clothing outside the stadium.
What makes Club Brugge and MISMAS’ women’s line a game-changer in football merch?
The new collection offers a range of versatile items that combine fashion with subtle references to Club Brugge. Highlights include a blue dress with the club logo, a dark blue sweater with the club’s name on the back, a shirt with “1891” printed inside to mark the club’s founding year, and a blazer with gold initials.
“And if we really let the female Club fans have their way, we’d go even further,”
laughs Lia Steppe.
“They wanted lingerie or a bikini line, but that’s perhaps something for the future. We’ll create more crazy and fun things in the future, but it was already fun working together, and I’m proud of the collection.”
Gauthier Vervaeke, Head of Merchandise at Club Brugge, said the line helps the club build stronger connections with all fans.
“This collection fits perfectly with our ambition to build more inclusive and close connections with our supporters,”
he said. Vervaeke added that male fans remain important when designing new merchandise.
“Now we’ve completely reversed the process and created something together exclusively for female fans. The focus group quickly revealed that they are very passionate about sharing their love for the Club, if not even more so than the male fans,”
Gauthier Vervaeke said.
Lia Steppe, founder of MISMAS, described the project as a pilot initiative. She said women-focused collections are rare in Belgium. Steppe added that the line is already attracting interest abroad. She is in the United States to study fan experiences and hopes the Belgian collection can inspire similar projects internationally.
Steppe said the goal is to expand the range of merchandise for women.
“Our aim is truly to connect as many fans as possible. Emancipation is key. It does not matter who you are or where you come from—everyone should be able to support a club,”
she said.
In recent years, several football clubs have launched special clothing lines for women. In April 2025, AC Milan introduced its first women’s lifestyle collection. The line included t-shirts, jackets, and other pieces designed to give female supporters stylish options. In March 2025, Arsenal released its inaugural women’s range, featuring track tops, pants, and vest tops with the ‘AWFC’ logo and the club’s cannon emblem.
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