Zalando and RBFA launch five-year partnership, embedding the brand into the heart of Belgian sports culture and fashion

This collaboration establishes Zalando as a Top Premium partner for Belgium’s Men's, Women's, and Youth teams until the end of 2030. It is part of Zalando’s strategy to expand as a lifestyle destination and anchors the brand in the heart of Belgian culture.

The partnership aligns with Zalando’s ambition to deepen its connection with local consumers by participating in the country's most significant cultural conversations. The RBFA serves as an inspiring force across the country, unifying Belgians to experience sports and express themselves before, during and after the game.

"The devil is in all of us"

The partnership launches with a dedicated campaign produced with some of the star players of the Men’s team. Carrying the slogan “The Devil is in all of us”- a clear reference to the team’s name Belgian Red Devils - it features a collective of Belgian football icons and style makers including Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku, Amadou Onana and Jérémy Doku. The campaign celebrates Belgians’ “daredevil” mentality - the inner drive of players and fans, whether on the field or in the street. It also features a remixed version of the Belgian supporters' chant, "Everywhere We Go".

At an exclusive event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, the RBFA and Zalando revealed the partnership and campaign. Laura Toledano, General Manager Western Europe at Zalando, unveiled the collaboration while highlighting how football brings people together and creates excitement. Former national player Jan Vertonghen and RBFA CEO Peter Willems joined James Rothwell, SVP of Marketing at Zalando, to discuss how players and fans prepare for matches with style and confidence. ​

Zalando Arrival Moment

A central feature of the partnership is the "Zalando Arrival Moment". Zalando will brand the arrival moment of the players at the RBFA’s national training centre (Proximus Basecamp). This turns the walk to the locker room into a highly visible platform to showcase the players' styles and provide inspiration for fans. The players choose their own looks as usual. Zalando will highlight some of the outfits on the app and webshop, inspiring customers with authentic styles from their favorite players.

James Rothwell, Senior Vice President Marketing at Zalando, says: "Football is one of the most influential cultural forces in Europe, and fashion and football have a long history together. This partnership supports our shift toward becoming Europe’s leading Sports & Lifestyle destination. We have seen steady growth of sports audiences and brands on our platform. We are excited to join the cultural conversation in Belgium, connect fans with incredible content, and create exclusive moments for our customers. We look forward to celebrating the Red Devils, Red Flames and Youth teams over the next five years with”.

Laura Toledano, Zalando’s General Manager Western Europe, says: “We are incredibly proud to team up with the RBFA to inspire and engage with Belgians. The RBFA is a unique unifying force that connects all Belgians, allowing us to speak to every generation and every fan across the country. By anchoring our brand in the national teams, we provide Belgians with inspiration for their daily sports and lifestyle choices. I am looking forward to incredible moments during the World Cup tournament and the next five years together with the RBFA and their fans.”

Peter Willems, CEO of the RBFA, says: “We are delighted to welcome Zalando as our official Top Premium partner. This partnership focuses on sport, fashion and self-expression. Zalando brings a scale and expertise in engagement that allows us to connect with our fans 365 days a year. We also see a strong connection with Zalando's values to create communities, innovate and inspire. Together, we can bring our football communities to a new level and excite even more Belgians for our sport.”

Exclusive experiences

In addition to the Zalando Arrival Moment, the partnership grants Zalando a wide range of exclusive marketing and activation rights, creating exciting opportunities for football enthusiasts in Belgium. Key elements include:

Focus on Sports and Lifestyle

The partnership underpins Zalando's ambition to further expand as a lifestyle destination, moving beyond a generalist offering to provide a curated, high-performance experience. In the last few years, Zalando has significantly expanded its expertise in key areas like football, running and cycling, onboarding technical assortment, unveiling dedicated onsite experiences for customers for different sport types and authentically embedding the Zalando brand in sports culture through supporting major sporting events in Europe.

Local campaign

The campaign with members of the Red Devils team was shot at the RBFA’s Proximus Basecamp in Tubize and across Belgium. The Belgian agency Mutant created the campaign concept, agency OONA/BAAS developed the PR and influencer strategy and the media strategy was developed in partnership with Dentsu Benelux. The marketing campaign will run on digital, OOH, and TV from May 18 until early June.

About Zalando

Founded in Berlin in 2008, Zalando is the leading European technology platform for fashion and lifestyle. Connecting 62 million active customers with more than 7,000 brands across 29 markets, our operations are built on a unique AI-powered data and infrastructure platform. For our customers, our multi-app approach - comprising Zalando, ABOUT YOU, and Lounge by Zalando - delivers an inspiring, highly personalised shopping experience, serving different customers with different needs. For our partners, we are building the operating system for e-commerce. Through ZEOS, Tradebyte, and SCAYLE, we open our logistics, software, and service capabilities to brands and retailers, enabling them to seamlessly scale their businesses across borders.

For further information, please visit: corporate.zalando.com/en.