Interview: Tokidoki founder Simone Legno on 'dream' Roma collaboration

On Thursday Roma announced the launch of an ambitious and innovative new partnership with lifestyle brand tokidoki, which will see the two parties work together to create new and unique content, merchandise and other projects.

The recent restyling of the club’s mascot, Romolo, is just the first step in a wider collaboration between the club and the brand. At the core of that relationship is tokidoki’s founder, Simone Legno; who was born in Rome and has long-supported the Giallorossi.

After the announcement of a partnership that the man himself admitted was a “dream come true”, we spoke to Legno about how the arrangement came about, how his passion for Rome and Roma was born, and how he built tokidoki into the worldwide brand it is today.

First things first, Simone - where does your passion for Roma come from?

“I was born and raised in Rome, in the Nuovo Salario area - but everyone around me supported different teams. I don’t know why! I chose Roma, because they have the name of my city and truly represented me. I am Roman and I liked the team’s colours – as more time went by, the more it became like a religion for me. I’ve always had a feeling of affection for the city – the first time I ever bunked off school, I went to the Colosseum. I feel like I’m bound to Rome and Roma are one of the city’s symbols – exuberant, passionate and representative of the joy and pride of our city.”

What was the first match you went to see at the stadium?

“It was a home draw against AC Milan – the game finished 1-1 and Ruggiero Rizzitelli scored. It was during the 1991-92 season. Ottavio Bianchi was the coach. My father didn’t want me to go, because he thought it was dangerous, but I secretly bought myself a ticket.”

Who was your Roma idol as a child?

“Bruno Conti, no doubt. That’s also because of the Italy side that won the 1982 World Cup, which are still in my heart. I had his sticker – he was an incredible player.”

What match means the most to you?

“Roma v Parma on 17 June 2001 was unforgettable. I didn’t manage to get tickets, so I got a group of my Roma-supporting friends together to watch the match. We went into the city centre on our scooters, all together. It was an incredible celebration, something that I will never forget.

“Of our more recent games, I will never forget Roma v Barcelona, when Kostas Manolas scored. As an Italian abroad, it was an incredible feeling – everyone was talking to me about it, wherever I went. They’d say to me: “You’re a Roma fan? You beat Barcelona – we saw the game!” People said it to me everywhere – in Mexico, Japan, all over the world. Just wearing your Roma shirt at a kickabout led everyone to talk about that game. It was a real feeling of pride.”

Tell us how the tokidoki brand started…

“I attended the European Institute of Design in Rome and started working on my plans there. Everything started from the web, in the early 2000s. I put together my own creative diary, which was an artistic multimedia experience. Then several companies started to contact me. Initially I moved to Milan, to work with various Italian and international agencies. My work kept on developing and various brands asked me to work with them, with my designs. I met my business partner, who supported me logistically, and we launched tokidoki in 2003, when I moved to the United States. We started by going to small exhibitions, traveling the world and we’ve gradually grown more and more.”

How would you define your creative style?

“It's a mix of different styles. At its core is the Japanese kawaii style and the pop culture of that world, with a touch of punk-rock. I was in a band for more than ten years and all the coloured hair and tattoos that you see in my products are inspired by that scene. A touch of Italian design can be seen across everything we do. Tokidoki’s original aesthetic is the result of my travels and all the sources of inspiration I’ve encountered in my life.”

When did you approach Roma about this project?

“I’ve always liked Romolo as a character and my children used to play with a stuffed Romolo toy. I tried to put my own spin on the character, by giving him some of the qualities of my characters. It’s about evolving a subject matter, which is always the case in the world of design - the first version of Mickey Mouse is different to what we see now.

“I’ve worked with Hello Kitty, Marvel and SpongeBob for years – I’ve put my hand to lots of different characters. The club liked the restyling idea that I had in mind, so we met right away. Because I’m a Roma fan, I put even more effort in than in other projects in my career.”

What’s the idea behind Romolo?

“I wanted to create a strand that could then represent as many Roma fans as possible – that’s why there will be a female character alongside him. My daughter supports Roma too and there needs to be something for young girls like her. Romolo won’t be on his own – there’ll be a story to go with him. It will be a modern spin on the legend about the foundation of our city. All the characters have certain peculiarities, and some will be more human and relevant to younger age groups.”

Soon your products will be available for retail sale, in partnership with Roma. Could you tell us a bit more about this project?

“Firstly we’ll launch New Era caps and collectable toys. Alongside those there will be stationery products, for school. We Roma fans all grew up with Roma-themed diaries, pencil cases and backpacks – I’ve still got mine. Then there will be a line of clothing for women, men and children.”

What are your next objectives?

"With tokidoki we want to continue to expand in as many countries as possible and in more product ranges. We are now doing work in India; we are working to create a tokidoki hotel in China; we are expanding into South America. Tokidoki has a different language depending on the target market. Roma fit perfectly in this context; I’m hoping to help spread our colours all over the world, even more than they already are.”

How do you follow Roma, your favourite team, when you live on the other side of the Atlantic?

“By setting my alarm early in the morning when I’m in America - or by interrupting my meetings or sleep wherever else I am in the world! My kids follow the matches with me, and they know that my mood will affect the rest of the weekend. If Roma win, it means ice cream for everyone. If things go badly, we don’t talk about it. Every morning, the first thing I do is check all the Roma websites – it was a great day when Edin Dzeko renewed his contract, it filled my heart with joy!”

What are your thoughts about the season that has just commenced?

"I always have high hopes at the start of each season and I always have great confidence in our players. This year the team has been assembled very well. I really like the new arrivals, especially Davide Zappacosta, Chris Smalling and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. I'm glad there are so many young Italians in the team – Italian football needs to be synonymous with quality, so it makes me happy to see some of these guys with us. We hope it’s a successful season. Forza Roma!”


The ASRoma x tokidoki collection will be released at the end of September. Items will be available to purchase exclusively at the club’s flagship AS Roma Store on Via del Corso in Rome as well as online at asromastore.com and on tokidoki.it.