"Uniforms optimized for e-sports players"

──Please tell us how you came to create new clothing with MINOTAUR INST.

E-sports players wear uniforms similar to those worn by soccer players. However, those uniforms look good on players who run for 90 minutes straight and have single-digit body fat, and because they are worn during exercise, there was an issue that they were not optimized for e-sports players. However, since we had no knowledge of clothing at all, we spent several years without being able to produce any particular output. At that time, the person in charge of design at VERDY was acquainted with Mr. Eiichi Izumi of MINOTAUR INST., so we were introduced to him.

Our ideal is to pursue the sport to the fullest and aim to be the best in Japan and the world, but we interpret e-sports as a brain sport, and as a digital athlete. Izumi-san is planning to turn the city into a gym, "incorporating exercise into everyday life," while we have the opposite idea of ​​"integrating sports into everyday life." Our ideas were in sync, so we decided to work together.

──Wearing the uniform itself is just an act. Through this collaboration, do you think the philosophy behind the brand will help elevate the players' spirits when they wear the uniform?

Currently, we haven't yet reached the stage of developing a uniform, so next season the players will be competing in uniforms similar to those worn in soccer. Therefore, we first want to create clothes that the players can wear on a daily basis. Since e-sports players don't practice on a field but spend their days in an office-like environment, we asked MINOTAUR INST. to create clothing that will allow them to maximize their performance in such environments.

"This collaboration with MINOTAUR INST. is also a new challenge."

──Earlier you mentioned that "the challenge is that it's not optimized for esports players." Approaching such an issue through fashion seems like a new approach. VERDY in particular has been involved in esports from an early stage, but is this part of your company's culture or philosophy?

At VERDY, we place great importance on the words "culture" and "philosophy." We were founded in 1969, and the J.League was founded in 1993, so we called ourselves a professional club a quarter of a century before that. At the time, professional baseball was at its height, and we decided to branch out into the new sport of soccer in order to expand globally. Just as the Japanese national soccer team won a bronze medal at the Mexico Olympics, we founded Japan's first professional soccer club. We've inherited that tradition from 50 years ago, and we value two pillars: "Be pioneers" and "Go global with great ambition." Our club culture also embraces the challenge of doing things that have never been done before, so we're taking on this new challenge with MINOTAUR INST.

It has been 50 years since the club was founded, and when we thought about what we could do to ensure that the team remains a beloved organization for the next 50 years, we decided to try something new, and have expanded into human resource development and e-sports, and in the future we would like to expand into fashion and music through the VERDY brand.

Currently, there are VERDY apparel and merchandise, but they are strictly fan-based. Eventually, we would like to develop VERDY into a fashion that people can love even if they don't know much about the brand. For example, even people who don't know much about Major League Baseball will be wearing a New York Yankees cap in the street. We would like to reach that level as well.

"Player production will also be important."

──It's a collaboration between different genres, but I think it works because there are commonalities between them.

The phrase that really caught Izumi's attention was "digital athlete." He was very interested in the phrase, and from there we were able to move quickly towards producing a product.

──Is the term "digital athlete" commonly used in the e-sports world?

No, it's not common at all. It's a term that was born during our discussions. We haven't particularly promoted it externally, but it was born as a contrast to real athletes. I'm thinking about the difference between e-sports players, who are so-called gamers, and athletes, and how big the hurdles are between them.

What's important to them is improving their competitive ability, and concentration is crucial for that. Concentration can tire the brain, but it doesn't cause much physical fatigue. For example, soccer practice can only last about three hours at most, but esports practice can last 10 or 12 hours a day. In that case, maintaining high concentration for long periods and ensuring its quality are the keys to improving competitive ability. When preparing the environment for this, you have to go into detail about things like the color of the walls and the temperature of the lights.

More than just improving our competitive ability, we try to show how we practice hard every day with a purpose. We value both competitive ability and communication skills. It's important to balance these two. To raise awareness of esports, it's important to produce players. Many players have been passionate about games since they were children, and some don't care about fashion, but we want to be cool people that children can look up to. MINOTAUR INST.'s clothes help with this issue, as even esports players who don't have the physique of an athlete can wear them well.

Interview: Shuhei Matsuyama