Fashion meets gaming: Gucci aims to empower young e-sport talents

Gucci’s foray into the Metaverse expands with the debut of the Gucci Gaming Academy with partners FACEIT, an esports platform, and the World Health Organisation. 

The academy is a revolutionary initiative created by the Italian House to empower and support young esport talents through a programme that fosters a safe environment for their mental health. 

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The selection process is not just about the player’s in-game performance. An assessment of the player’s personal values and soft skills such as teamwork and conflict resolution will be taken into consideration through interviews. 

“We are dedicated to supporting the up-and-coming generations of players to help manage the challenges they may face as a result of participating in esports. Understanding the issues that are relevant to them and learning about these from the people they affect are at the core of this collaboration,” says Nicolas Oudinot, EVP New Business and Gucci VAULT CEO. 

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The programme consists of both group and individual activities such as mental health coaching with trained psychologists, volunteering experiences powered by Gucci and personal branding sessions.

Detailed training plans will be designed specifically for the players as well as through the Gucci Education platform. Ambassadors from the gaming community – commentators James Bardolph, Christopher “GeT_RiGhT” Alesund and Stephanie “missharvey” Harvey – will also act as mentors to the academy players.

With the WHO, this programme will continuously find ways to support all gamers to improve their gameplay while prioritising their health, both physical and mental, such as fighting misinformation online and more.

“Players have rigorous training schedules, compete in high-pressure tournaments and immense pressure from fans, so it’s important that new talent entering the space are equipped with the right support structure at an early stage in their development,” says Michele Attisani, Co-Founder & CBO of FACEIT.

This article was first published in Harper's Bazaar Singapore.