Creator Virgil Abloh, founder of Off-White, disappeared in 2021. Photography by Jean-Baptiste Mondino.
Football has always suffered from its image as an outlet for the slightest of human impulses. : Racism, homophobia and misogyny have often tarnished the image of the king of sports. In protest against these dirty demonstrations, a new generation of athletes is daring to speak out and make strong political and positive commitments. Inspired by the example of LeBron James or other American athletes, these soccer players risk angering part of the audience by asserting their positions. This is how Antoine Griezmann, for example, appeared on the cover of Têtu magazine, protesting against homophobia in football. The Paris Saint-Germain players, along with the players of Turkish club Basaksehir, have made the unprecedented decision to end the Champions League match and return to their dressing room, in protest of the perceived racist statements from 4.e Match referee.
so football, Like the rest of the world, it is changing… To attract Generation Z, he can no longer be satisfied with his technical brilliance and track record. He must make an effort to persuade. From this perspective, the highly innovative partnership between Off-White and AC Milan is collapsing. The brand founded by Virgil Abloh is now more than just a club maker: a ‘coordinator of style and culture’.I’m in parentheses Launched in 2020 by the late Virgil Abloh – to illustrate the designer’s message of support to the community, with capsule and T-shirt sets that spell out “I support black companies or “I support all forms of love
Off-White™ c/o AC Milan
For his part, AC Milan also grabbed the 2020 championship Innovative initiatives to promote positive values, through their impact, both in the local community and in general in the community. RespAct, a manifesto for equality, diversity and inclusion, has developed an ambitious program of concrete actions, including interventions in schools in Lombardy to raise youth awareness of the issue of racism, and recruitment as revitalization leaders for players and club executives. Or the subtle moderation of comments on social networks, allowing hate messages to be reduced by 70% within two years. As part of the partnership with Off-White, the brand and the club will launch joint initiatives across Fondazione Milan, the organization that helps disadvantaged youth. To tangibly show the inner beauty of two entities, the uniform will be embroidered with the words “Put your heart on my arms” [portez votre cœur sur le bras, soit la version anglaise de l’expression « avoir la main sur le cœur »].
In this story, They are two opinion leaders who are challenging. Milan found its way to success this year, winning the Italian Championship after 11 years of rarity. He is also often mentioned for his innovative communication strategy. Thus, the Club of White did not wait “to find out how to talk to Generation Z”. In one of his audio files, the most venerable Corriere della Sera, A formidable Italian daily newspaper, it has analyzed everything that made the triumphant AC Milan a cultural exception, with an absolutely avant-garde communication: it shines especially through its ability to understand that young people do not follow the classic model of support established by previous generations. After two 90-minute games a week entirely on one screen, where perhaps only a goal or two has been scored during such a long period of time, it’s not really an accepted reality anymore. Journalist Corriere della SeraFederico Cella commented on the phenomenon in these terms:Young people do not immediately feel belonging to the club. The new supporter can for example see on Instagram that the guys go to Paris Fashion Week, and discover Raphael Liao’s trap pieces [l’attaquant portugais de 23 ans élu meilleur joueur de Serie A de la saison précédente] On Spotify, or follow on Twitch the exploits of Diego Campagna, captain of the AC Milan esports team [en 2020, en réponse au confinement, le club se montrait pionnier dans ce secteur en créant sa propre équipe sous la houlette du triple champion d’Italie de FIFA]. At that moment, he decided that this world was not old and dusty, and that he loved it.”. In an effort to renew itself, the club receives support from young Rafael Liao who owns his own brand of streetwear, who appears on his networks playing video games, listening to and composing the trap. AC Milan sees itself this way, Federico Sella explains, no longer as a sports club but as an entertainment company. In their state-of-the-art headquarters there is an in-house editorial team of 40 journalists and social media professionals who produce content for all platforms and in all languages, and also provide live match broadcasts, stats, influencer commentary, and TikTok videos created according to the latest trending trends on this platform.
Off-white affinity with the red and black house, It was bought immediately after its victory by the American RedBird group, and thus confirms that football is in the process of playing a complete boom by creating a completely different relationship with the fans, fighting boredom, and multiplying the talk in all sectors (PSG opens to for example, PSG cafes and academies, Creative collaborations are multiplied, particularly in the field of fashion) so that clubs become 360-degree cultural actors. Some players have already seen, in the advent of VAR (Video Assisted Arbitration) technology, the beginning of the transformation of football to Playstation … While PSG matches are now broadcast on Amazon Prime video, the entertainment giant Amazon, we can only see, with an avid eye, what will happen Actually for the “king of sports” who was born in the middle of the nineteenth centurye century.
