From Shanghai United to the WNBA: Women’s sport partnerships 2025

Brand investment in women’s sports has been progressing dramatically over the past few years, portraying both a market and societal shift. During summer 2025, Nielsen reported that global interest in women’s sports reached 50% of the general population in 2024, up from 45% in 2022, highlighting a rapidly growing audience that remains less saturated than traditional men’s sports markets. For luxury brands, this represents both a commercial opportunity and a platform for long-term engagement. This year Louis Vuitton, for instance, continues its involvement in women’s football through Real Madrid Femenino and the FIFA Women’s Competitions during the 2025 cycle, providing the official trophy trunk and ceremonial presence. Dior remains the official outfitter for Paris Saint-Germain Féminine in 2025, reinforcing parity with its men’s partnerships, while Gucci maintains an athlete-ambassador strategy featuring women footballers at both club and national levels. A long-male-dominated sport, women's basketball has seen some major moves this year: Coach announced a WNBA multi-year deal as the official handbag partner in April 2025, leveraging visibility around draft events, player tunnels, and league storytelling. Skims continues its league-wide partnership with the WBNA, illustrating a commitment to long-term involvement in women’s professional sport. High-fashion activations with teams like the New York Liberty, often tied to non-sport events such as New York Fashion Week, also demonstrated how brands are cross-pollinating between industries to create a well-rounded cultural presence. In tennis, January saw Olympic tennis champion Zheng Qinwen become a Dior global brand ambassador. While Gucci continues to feature Coco Gauff, with visible campaign work and front-row appearances throughout 2025. Louis Vuitton also maintains its partnership with Naomi Osaka, combining athletic performance with cultural influence across global markets. Rolex reinforces its positioning in women’s tennis through ongoing sponsorship of WTA events and Grand Slams, underscoring the brand’s premium association with elite sport. Golf is another area of luxury investment. Rolex’s long-term partnership with the LPGA remains active in 2025, while multiple luxury watch and fashion houses continue individual-athlete endorsements. Beyond specific sports, brands like Cartier and Tiffany & Co. are expanding their presence in multi-sport and cultural contexts, supporting women athletes through awards, ambassador programs, and trophy sponsorships that highlight achievement and leadership. Localizing with smaller teams The trend extends to China, where luxury brands are increasingly targeting both national and local women’s football teams. Prada became the official partner of the China Women’s National Team ahead of the World Cup in 2023, demonstrating international visibility and prestige. And at a more local level, soccer teams such as women-led Shanghai United FC and gender inclusive Anar FC have seen effortlessly cool streetwear collections with brands like Kappa (February) and Esoteric Thing (May) respectively, showing that there are growing opportunities for luxury brands to connect with tightly knit communities of female athletes while fostering local engagement and cultural resonance. Anar FC, as the brand writes, is “a tight crew of young creatives from all walks of life, united by football and street culture,“ exemplifying how soccer clubs have become a vibrant third space to connect with Chinese young people who are into stylish sportswear. By 2025, luxury brands are embedding themselves deeply into league structures, maintaining multi-year commitments, and using women’s sports as a core platform for growth, relevance, and cultural progress.

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From Shanghai United to the WNBA: Women’s sport partnerships 2025