Zenit Football Club and Saint-Petersburg State University of Industrial Technologies and Design announced have announced long-term cooperation in various fields of design: from graphic and fashion design to digital design. The corresponding agreement at the university’s Boiling Point - IndTechDesign was signed by the General Director of FC Zenit Alexander Medvedev and the rector of SPbSUITD Alexey Demidov yesterday. At the first stage of the partnership, five capsule collections of clothing for Zenit Football Club branded stores will be developed by students-designers of SPbSUITD. The first novelties can be expected by the New Year: a limited New Year's collection in the form of sweaters, hats, scarves, mittens in a gift box can be found in the stores of the Football Club.
During the meeting in honor of signing the document, the leaders outlined projects within the framework of the environmental agenda and the topic of “smart” clothing and materials. Zenit's entry into the consortium called “Digital Industrial Design, Composite Materials, Smart Clothing and Fabrics”, created by SPbSUITD for the implementation of the industry development program, became an aid for planning further steps for joint work. The Football Club acts here as one of the customers of scientific solutions in the field of design and “smart” clothing.
During the meeting, Alexander Medvedev noted that by doing something with inspiration and imagination, you can get not only an interesting product, but also a significant commercial effect, and by attracting talents in the field of design, the club acquires huge opportunities. “Recently, a new eco-stadium was opened at Gazprom Arena, in which there are a huge number of areas directly or indirectly related to the University's activities: these are new materials, their disposal, the introduction of new technologies, which can also become the basis for cooperation,” the General Director of FC Zenit supplemented his speech. Alexey Demidov, Rector of SPbSUITD, Chairman of the Council of Rectors of Universities of Saint-Petersburg and Leningrad Region, spoke about the prospects and joint plans: “At the moment we have five joint projects with FC Zenit. If things go well in the future - we will not limit ourselves to them. In general, we are talking about industrial design as almost the main direction of development. The introduction of digital industrial design technologies and “smart” textiles over the coming decades can pull pulp and paper mills and textile enterprises. The combination of science, specific tasks on composite materials, textiles with predetermined properties, all this within the framework of cooperation promises great results. We clearly express the hope that real things will be done, real work. This is a serious and significant matter.” Andrey Arshavin, a graduate of SPbSUITD, director of the Sports Department of FC Zenit, was also present at the event: “I am glad that my university, which gave me the road to life, is now cooperating with the club, which also gave me a lot. I hope that the partnership will be productive, and I want to see students involved in working with the club so that they can realize themselves through such a big brand as Zenit. We are waiting for students at our matches - because it is important not only to study, but also to relax. And we, as managers, as players, will do everything to order the uniform with the second star right here.” At the end of the meeting, Alexander Medvedev presented the rector of the University of Industrial Technologies and Design with a golden ball from the championship collection of FC Zenit with autographs of the championship team of the 2020/21 season.
