Micael Barilaro VP Metaverse Ventures, until recently New Businesses Gaming & Collectibles Director, deals with the positioning of the Gucci brand in the gaming and Metaverse sectorshe explains: “These are fields in which we have been moving for several years, always animated by the desire to be at the forefront, in the field of fashion, in territories in which we strongly believe, to continuously expand the boundaries of the Gucci universe and redefine what a brand like ours can do “.
We met Micael Barilaro on the occasion of Round One, the annual appointment dedicated to the esports business in Italy organized by Iidea and Ninetynine, at the Turin Ogrs, to talk about fashion, video games and esports.
Although they may seem like two worlds apart, Gucci’s relationship with video games has lasted for some time: “We have always collaborated in an open and proactive way with the different platforms and their communities, also involving the creators themselves in order to create to authentic experiences that aim to establish strong and deep connections with users. We have been doing this since 2018and always in line with two company mantras, the Digital First imperative and our ‘test-and-learn’ mentality – for which we approach new realities with curiosity, the will to learn and at the same time with the aim of enhancing the community and talent. The manifesto of our approach is the Good Game formula, the greeting symbol of sportsmanship in gaming with which the company shares the initials “. Barilaro continues: “By doing so we have built a multifaceted presence of Gucci in a select number of games characterized by a distinctive storytellingwhere values resonate in which we strongly believe, individual expression, creative freedom, fun and a sense of belonging “.
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Hand in hand with the world of video games, Gucci has built synergies with esports teams, working with Fnatic, 100 Thieves and explains Barilaro: “Obviously with Faceit, whose ability to highlight the talent and values of sportsmanship, with modalities new and genuine. At the same time broadening the perspective, we believe in gamification as a general approacha tool to offer multifaceted and engaging experiences capable of establishing meaningful links with a global audience “.
A further step forward is the creation of Gucci Gaming Academy in collaboration with Esl Faceit Group, the world‘s leading digital platform for the organization of competitive online video game tournaments, which brings together over twenty million users. “By collaborating with Faceit we had the opportunity to take an important step forward, allowing us to combine the points between fundamental values for Gucci, with innovative platforms and methods. Together we launched the Gucci Gaming Academy, an unprecedented initiative in our sector which aims to train young talents in esports and at the same time promote a healthy gaming environment “. Micael Barilaro concludes: “The project was born from the common desire to have a positive impact on the community of competitive gamerswhich has to face many specific difficulties which are often not given enough importance ”.
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The Gucci Gaming Academy aims to develop players’ soft skills through individual training sessions and group activities, providing young talents with the tools to cope with the physical and mental stress related to competition and online scrutiny they are subjected to, he tells us. Barilaro: “Our goal was to accompany them in the transition from amateur to professional career, similar to what happens in traditional sport. We do this through individual and group sessions, psychological support, online training, volunteering, gaming coaching, networking opportunities and giving access to the latest generation of gaming tools. Fundamental then to identify ways and priorities of the support we offer is lin our constant collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO)instrumental for the development of our vision “.
The export sector is constantly growing and accelerating all over the world, we asked Micael Barilaro what could be the most interesting aspects for fashion houses in the near future, he tells us: “It is a complex question, because it is difficult today. take for granted a relationship that translates into authentic, genuine and valuable involvement. When this is lacking, and fashion companies come into contact with esports, but also more generally, with gaming and their protagonists, the result can be counterproductive, revealing inconsistencies and commercial purposes focused on the short term “.
For Barilaro, the way to go must start with gestures and projects with which brands can effectively contribute to the growth of the sector, creating connections on the basis of values that sportsmanship has in common with fashion: “Equality, freedom of expression and respect , in the first place. And this is what we have tried to do at Gucci ”.
With a built dialogue we can imagine a future in which fashion companies can give resonance to the expressive component of competitive gaming and concludes Barilaro: “Why not, accompany the sector to an increasingly widespread recognition – imagining it could become, for example, an Olympic discipline – bringing with it a greater interest in professional athletes, their training and their needs ”.