Interview with Oscar Di Montigny, Writer, Public Speaker, and international Keynote Speaker
MILAN. “The Metaverse can be called a non-place, yet at the same time, it encompasses all possible places, as it is a new dimension where everything and nothing can exist simultaneously. Hollywood was a precursor, creating dimensions unknown to the masses, with science fiction films portraying situations that later came true.”
This is how Oscar Di Montigny, a forward-thinking figure, manager, finance expert, and an eclectic and innovative individual in ideas, work, and style, describes the Metaverse. In this interview, aligned with a magazine aiming to explore new paths and provide information beyond stereotypes, Oscar shares his insights.
Oscar, as an expert, please explain in a nutshell what you mentioned; give us… well, the headline!
“It is a new dimension where humanity can manifest itself for better or worse.”
Moving from the Banking sector to Fashion, what are the current and future differences in the application of the Metaverse? Do you think both sectors could become dependent on this technology?
Being both everything and nothing, the Metaverse, seen through the eyes of the future, will be one of the new environments for manifestation and interaction. We are the generation that has witnessed reality surpass its original material manifestation, experiencing it in new versions: first virtual, then augmented, and now in a mix of all – the Metaverse. Adapting to all these novelties simultaneously, in such a short time, is challenging for the human brain. Every sector, including fashion and finance, is obliged to reflect on how to operate in this new environment for various business reasons: production, distribution, communication—virtually everything. It’s too early to understand exactly how different sectors will adapt and establish their identity in this dimension, but the barrier to the new world has been crossed, and humanity has entered a “third life.”
Your website indicates that you are part of a super-elite of innovators. You describe yourself as an “expert in Mega trends and Grand Scenarios, Innovative Marketing, Relational Communication, and Corporate Education.” You conduct impactful motivational keynote speeches at international events, guiding the audience through identifying new perspectives to face future challenges. You seem to navigate the world, and perhaps you are one of the helmsmen of this inevitable human transformation. Regarding Innovative Marketing, what are your thoughts on the Fashion and Luxury market, now more than ever a lifestyle product market, increasingly vital in the global economy? How do you see the evolution of this market concerning digitization, globalization, the centrality of retail, and new purchasing behaviors?
The Fashion sector has always been considered a guiding industry. However, in my opinion, it is a conflicting sector that outwardly presents itself as a driving force – hence the phrase “what’s in fashion?” – but, on the other hand, has always undervalued its original identity of expressing an orientation. Unfortunately, Fashion wants to set trends without taking responsibility for it. The Fashion System imposes trends through language, but what systemic responsibility has it assumed? Fashion must be the first to intercept certain phenomena (e.g., the Gender phenomenon, the phenomenon of Curvey…) and understand whether it is right or wrong to convey them to consumers. Riding phenomena only to sell one more item or to have influencers wear their clothes without having a proper identity is insufficient. Fashion must express an orientation and its origin.
Let’s talk about the economy, essential for civilization. Fashion companies need to build brands strong enough to stimulate the desire to buy specific brand products. What are the fundamental aspects to create a real emotional connection between a brand and its audience?
Fashion would benefit from an as unaware as possible market, forcefully driven towards the excesses of rampant consumerism. It would like to constantly empty our closets to fill them with new clothes. Data shows that a garment is used about only 8 times before being discarded. This model might be economically profitable, but Fashion can no longer avoid being aware of its role within the entire social and environmental system. It cannot continue to be one of the most hypocritical yet impactful and influential industries. I hope this industry is willing to exercise this influence by educating not only itself, realigning its direction, but also educating its consumers toward a more conscious buying and consumption process.
From February 2018 until recently, you hosted the radio show “Il tempo dei Nuovi Eroi” on Radio Italia. Who, for Di Montigny, are these new heroes?
In this historical moment, even the least among us can consider themselves the hero the world desperately needs today. We all must feel authorized to express a conscious influence that affects society as a whole. It is a civic act of responsibility! Anyone has the ability to make an impact today, and they should. They should do it for the benefit of everyone, not just a part. Because we can all be more aware of this individual power, new scientific discoveries have shown how interconnected we all are, and how each of us can influence everything and everyone. Reality does not exist as we imagine it: each person creates their world by prefiguring it internally and projecting it externally. This projection will then affect everything and everyone, becoming our reality. The new hero is, therefore, the human being who takes this responsibility for everything and, with full happiness, takes it on and acts on the world to improve it for everyone because we are all interconnected, and the only way to take care of myself is to take care of others.
Let’s move on to sustainability, another vibrant theme that is receiving enormous media and scientific attention. The main global challenges currently are fighting climate change and reducing social inequalities. Many of the levers needed to address these challenges and reverse the course are in the hands of national governments. However, the scale of investments required to stimulate a fairer and transitional economy is such that it also requires the intervention and contribution of financial institutions. Therefore, financial institutions work with the aim of producing an economic return, as well as contributing to the realization of shared benefits. Do you think financial institutions are supporting the Fashion market in the necessary production transformation to create sustainable garments?
Finance goes where there is the maximum profitability. Consequently, since the world is now forcibly moving towards sustainability, finance will follow just as forcibly. However, it is essential to have consciousness and awareness to approach sensitivity diligently for effective practice. Urgency suggested by the market and/or the obligation imposed by regulators, combined with the necessary skills and knowledge, will not be enough to correspond to this new dimension. I and a few others have sensitized the market for many years, but for a long time, no one responded. Finance will finally follow, but it must approach with the delicacy and humility of newcomers.
An inevitable question, given the nature of this magazine: everything changes, the world, life. From lace and frills to jeans and absolute practicality, maintaining style and appropriateness for the role and events, whether it’s work or leisure. What is Oscar di Montigny’s perspective on this? On your website, you present yourself without a tie, with a rather dark look, rings, and a bracelet. Is this the man of the future? Certainly, Covid and remote work have imposed a new reality where you can work in casual attire or even in pajamas, especially since video calls only show the chest and above. What are your thoughts on this?
I think in our society, appearance often plays a more significant role than it should, and this has been a social defeat. Doubting that I might not come across as I would like, or doing so artificially, I have neutralized my presentation as much as possible. It was being misunderstood, and it arrived before my essence and message, either impoverishing or exaggerating it excessively. I want to be as neutral as possible, letting my content and their vibrations be my attire.
Thank you for the consistently precise and even sagacious answers. But one question remains that requires an answer: the easiest but perhaps the most challenging. Can you, in 5-10 lines, define who Oscar is and his role in civil society in terms of innovation and motivational impact?
I consider myself a person always in motion: a traveler into the unknown in search of rays of light. I love minds that bear fruit, hearts that identify with sociality, and souls in harmony with planet Earth.
By Dino Frambati
