OTB and Microsoft together for the first Artificial Intelligence Day

• The event, in collaboration with Bain & Company and Adobe Italia, aims at creating an opportunity of discussion on the topic for the various teams of the Group

• The AI Day is part of the wider path that OTB is walking in the innovation field

Milan, September 7, 2023 – Conveying more awareness on artificial intelligence and creating an opportunity of discussion on the topic are the objectives of the first Artificial Intelligence Day organized by OTB, the international fashion and luxury group founded by Renzo Rosso, together with Microsoft Italia, and in collaboration with Bain & Company and Adobe Italia. The event, dedicated to more than 50 managers of the holding and the brands of the Group, was held on September 6 at Microsoft Italia Headquarters in Milan.

The event is part of the wider path that OTB is walking in the innovation field, paying particular attention to virtual reality solutions, 3D, customer engagement and artificial intelligence. The Group has also established a partnership with the Digital Innovation Observatories of the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano, as it strongly believes that the business-university partnership is pivotal for the research of high-innovative sustainable solutions that can be applied to the companies of the industry. In this context, OTB is also paving the way for a collaboration with the Fashion in Process laboratory of the same university for the application of AI to the production and design processes optimization.

During the event, the opportunities that AI provides to the fashion & luxury industry have been analyzed, and through a detailed value chain mapping it has been highlighted that AI pervaded all the fundamental processes of a luxury company: from the initial step of the product development, to merchandising & buying, to marketing, going on with the operations & supply chain step, and, finally, with selling, distribution and the relationship with the final customer.

“I have always believed that we need to keep investing in technology if we want to have a successful business. Artificial intelligence is already part of our everyday life and it’s becoming a real must-have for the fashion & luxury industry, as it is a tool that can support people and increase their potential, without substituting the craftsmanship, creativity and skills that define the excellence of these professions. This is the reason why I want our managers to be aware of all its opportunities; the collaboration with the best global tech partners goes in this direction”, said Renzo Rosso, Chairman and Founder of OTB Group.

“Technology and more specifically new Artificial Intelligence solutions are gaining a more central and strategic role in company activities, redefining, and redesigning the business processes and models of many Italian companies, including fashion & luxury ones. When it comes to Artificial Intelligence, Microsoft supports companies in their digitalization processes, to identify the implementation scenarios inside the organizations and to allow them to exploit the potential that new technologies provide for growth and innovation. People’s training becomes fundamental to leverage technology to unleash human intelligence and creativity. I am glad that we organized this event with OTB Group to work together on the identification of new innovation scenarios” commented Vincenzo Esposito, CEO of Microsoft Italia.

“OTB Group is a real example of creative strength, passion, and managerial excellence. I am happy to contribute to a discussion on innovation that allows the leaders of this organization to look to the future. Thanks to its leader’s collective intelligence and the talent of their teams, I am sure that OTB will be able to envision extraordinary solutions to answer to these needs that still appear as emerging but will rapidly become reality through the wise use of new technologies” explained Carlo Purassanta, EVP Strategy and Growth, ION Group.