North American retail brand Hollister has appointed 2019 Fortnite World Cup winner Kyle ‘Bugha’ Giersdorf as its Chief Gaming Scout.
As a result, the two parties have joined forces to launch a limited-edition hoodie and sweatpant set.
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Alongside the apparel range, Bugha will scout aspiring content creators to become a part of Team Hollister, a training programme that includes monthly mentorship from the Fortnite world champion and a $10,000 (£~£7.291) sponsorship.
The programme will commence in November and is in partnership with live streaming platform Twitch.
Kristin Scott, Global Brand President at Abercrombie & Fitch, spoke on Hollister’s expansion into esports in a release: “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.
“We’ve recently been successfully and authentically showing up in the gaming world, particularly with our Fortnite tournament earlier this year – so we’re excited to delve even further into this area through our partnership with Bugha and the launch of Team Hollister.”
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The newly appointed Chief Gaming Scout Giersdorf, also commented: “I’m pumped to act as Hollister’s Chief Gaming Scout and for the release of our gaming apparel collection.
“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!”
Esports Insider says: Considering the success of Hollister’s Fortnite tournament it hosted earlier in 2021, joining forces with the former world champion to create a team of content creators is a great way to cultivate talent alongside launching an apparel range aimed at gamers.