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Abercrombie & Fitch today announced it’s appointed Fortnite extraordinaire Bugha to the role of Hollister’s chief gaming scout.
Kyle “Bugha” Giersdorf will head a new initiative at Hollister to look for up-and-coming streamers to join Team Hollister. This “gamer training program” will begin in November. It will offer several training sessions, a charity livestream on Twitch, mentorship from Bugha, and a $10,000 sponsorship from Hollister for the up-and-comers.
Bugha said of the partnership in a statement: “Working with the team to design custom apparel that I’m truly excited to wear, and that I know other gamers will love, has been a really cool experience. I can’t wait for everyone to see what else we have in store with this partnership!”
Hollister has been pursuing gaming in general, and esports in particular for some time. The brand has been building a profile in the space for a while. It teamed up with Tripleclix and Mission Control this April for its own esports event, the Fortnite All Day Gameplay Challenge.
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Kristin Scott, global brand president at Abercrombie & Fitch Co., said gaming was an important part of the company’s strategy: “We’re always focused on meeting our Gen Z customers where they are, and gaming continues to be a rising area of interest for global teens.”
In celebration of Bugha’s new role, they also revealed the fruit of the collaboration: A gamer-friendly pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. According to Hollister, this outfit is designed with gamers in mind, though the only-gamer specific feature mentioned is the very roomy hood designed to fit over a headset. Both pieces of clothing will also feature an image of Bugha’s pug Zoey and a secret message in Morse code.
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