Hollister is hiring a gaming scout—inside the clothing brand’s esports strategy

Hollister is going all-in on the esports space, tapping Fortnite World Cup champion Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf as its first chief gaming scout. As part of the role, 18-year-old Bugha, who won the competition in 2019, will help select talent for Team Hollister, the brand’s new gamer training program that will kick off in November in collaboration with Twitch. The program will include a series of livestreamed training sessions, including a charity livestream on Giving Tuesday. The program will also give each streamer a $10,000 sponsorship from Hollister and monthly mentorship from Bugha. Hollister and Bugha also worked together to create a limited-edition sweat set for gaming. The set has a large zip pocket meant for storing snacks and a roomy hood to fit a gaming headset. Bugha’s fans were able to vote on designs through his Instagram account. The set also features Bugha’s pug, Zoey, on the hoodie, and a morse code message (“Code Bugha”) on the arm. The hoodie will retail for $49.95 and the sweatpants for $44.95. The set will be available online and in select Hollister stores. Esports and gaming collaborations are on the rise as brands see the reach these platforms provide. (Bugha alone has 5.1 million Instagram followers). The partnership comes on the heels of a month-long Fortnite tournament that Hollister hosted in April of this year. The tournament coincided with Hollister’s new line of gaming apparel. They aren’t the only brand that has started hosting tournaments. Last September, Bud Light Seltzer hosted a “Battle of the Best” competition on Twitch, and brands like McDonald’s and Lexus have become sponsors for esport organizations. “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,” Kristin Scott, global brand president at Abercrombie & Fitch Co, Hollister’s parent company, said in a statement announcing the partnership. “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.”

Hollister is hiring a gaming scout—inside the clothing brand’s esports strategy

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