Fashion Industry Veteran Steve Birkhold Joins XSET as Chief Merchandise and Licensing Officer

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Dec 09, 2021, 10:00 ET

BOSTON, Dec. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- XSET, the world's fastest-growing lifestyle gaming organization, announced today that legendary fashion CEO Steve Birkhold has joined as its Chief Merchandise and Licensing Officer. In his new role, Birkhold will bring his expertise, vast knowledge and skills to bear on XSET's fashion division.

XSET co-founder Wil Eddins, who previously held the role, will move into the new position of Chief Creative Officer, where he will oversee all creative strategy for the company.

In welcoming Birkhold to the organization, Eddins said, "The second I met Steve, I knew he could take the test merch program we've been perfecting over the last year and build it into something massive that is meaningful and sought after by gamers around the world."

An icon in the industry, Birkhold has more than 30 years of experience in global fashion, as well as the distinction of being one of the few CEOs worldwide to have run many large scale fashion businesses, including those with worth over a billion dollars. Birkhold joins XSET with an impressive record of effective and multifaceted experience leading world-renowned brands like Diesel, Lacoste and BEBE, and more than a decade of senior management roles at VF Corporation focusing on Lee Jeans, Nautica Jeans, and Earl Jeans. Birkhold's expertise spans the breadth and depth of fashion, including: marketing, retail, wholesale, ecommerce, operations, brand partnerships and high-level corporate strategic planning. As an executive at XSET, Birkhold's leadership and tested management and growth-building skills will support the merch, fashion and design team as they create an innovative approach to gaming lifestyle fashion - touching everything from partnership and collaboration strategies across various industries to pioneering design.

"I am honored to be joining XSET as their Chief Merchandise and Licensing Officer, and lend my expertise to their world class team," said Birkhold. "What Greg and his team have accomplished in just the first year since the org's inception is a tremendous achievement. The gaming industry and XSET are both seeing exponential growth and I look forward to continuing that trajectory and helping see the organization through their next levels of success."

Greg Selkoe, Co-founder and CEO of XSET added, "We are thrilled to have one of the most respected names in fashion join our team. Steve's expertise in the space is a perfect fit as we continue to scale, deliver and set the trends other gaming orgs will follow. Steve is a true visionary and recognized leader known for building iconic brands; we can't wait for XSET to become his next!"

In addition to his executive role at XSET, Birkhold will serve on XSET's advisory board, leveraging his expertise, knowledge and skill across fashion related initiatives and different verticals.

About XSET
Founded in 2020 in Boston by gaming and pop culture veterans Greg Selkoe, Marco Mereu, Clinton Sparks and Wil Eddins, XSET is the fastest growing gaming organization and lifestyle brand in history. XSET fields some of the world's top competitive esports teams in titles including Valorant, Rocket League, Rainbow Six, Fortnite, Warzone, Apex Legends, eNASCAR and more. Built on a foundation of a diverse and inclusive gaming culture, XSET is building the preeminent brand for today's growing Gen Z audience of gamers. The organization continues to grow at a breakneck pace, partnering with high-profile brands such as Ghost Lifestyle, SCUF Gaming, Roots Canada, HyperX, Quality Control Music, Respawn, Fanshark and Wahlburgers and is working with socially positive causes including Big Brother Big Sister of America. Since its launch, XSET has attracted top-tier, world famous talent across music, sports and entertainment to its shared vision, including Grammy-nominated hip-hop artists Swae Lee and Ozuna, BMX legend Nigel Sylvester, 14-year-old female Olympic skateboarding phenom Minna Stess, and professional athletes such as NFL stars Kyle Van Noy and Adrian Colbert of the New England Patriots. Sitting at the intersection of gaming and culture, XSET's robust merchandise offerings are some of the most sought-after in the industry, featuring high-profile collaborations and exclusive pieces fans can't find anywhere else. XSET is defining what it means to be cultural leaders in the space for future generations to come. For more information visit XSET.com #reptheset