Not For Everyone: the faces of our campaign

Five protagonists were selected to be part of our video. These are people who have managed to accomplish great things in different fields thanks to the bravery, sacrifice and tenacity they’ve shown.

OMER Milan is his city, his home, but above all his greatest inspiration. Omer is one of the most innovative street artists in Milan and one of the most promising in Italy.

Federico Unia – his real name – was born in Milan, a city that strongly influenced his personal and artistic development. This is reflected in his words: "This city is like a beautiful woman: fascinating, intriguing, ravishing." It’s precisely this wonderful and damned metropolis, confounding and dazed by heterogeneous advertising, that provides the framework through which he can express his unique and inimitable language.

After graduating with honours from the Brera Academy, he began to collaborate with the artistic group TheBagArtFctory in 2004. In 2007, he joined the TDK Crew, a historic Milanese group which is recognised as one of the most well-established entities in the Italian art scene.

Omer's artistic identity stems from the collective experimentation of Pop Art and the reflection over disrupting New Dada's ideas. He draws inspiration from the reinterpretation of poster art carried out by Nouveau Réalisme’s affichistes (first and foremost Mimmo Rotella), from Rauschenberg’s combine paintings and also from Andy Warhol and Roy Lichenstein’s reworkings of popular icons. The end result is a unique modus operandi and a hybrid Urban-Pop creation, something which emphasises his ability to mix different styles and techniques and expresses an impressive creative insight.

Omer's life involves climbing walls, both real and imaginary, in order to let his creativity run free and express what he calls “visual emotions”. This certainly isn’t an ordinary life, this is a life which is Not For Everyone.

AIRTON COZZOLINO For him, surfing is not just a sport, but an attitude, a religion, a way of life. Growing up with a surfboard at his feet, the waves have always been in Airton Cozzolino Lopes’s destiny.

He was born in 1994 in Ilha Do Sal, a small island in Cape Verde off the coast of West Africa, a paradise for the world's greatest kitesurfers due to the strong winds of the Atlantic.

Airton was just four years old when he came into contact with a surfboard for the first time. He spent his teenage years surrounded by surfers, from whom he learned the art of riding the waves, and he’s managed to refine his skills through the years and many trips out to sea. In 2010, he was adopted by the Italian Libero Cozzolino, who moved to Capo Verde to become a kitsurfing instructor. It’s a passion that brings father and son together, so much so that they’ve founded two kitesurfing and surfing schools – one in Capo Verde and one in Chia, Sardinia.

But Airton's life is not limited to teaching. Cozzolino has taken part in many international competitions since 2011, when he won the kitesurfing world championship in the wave category. Three years later, he organised his own competition (Red Bull Unfastened) and achieved further success at the GWA Wave & Strapless Freestyle Tour. In 2016, he won the Kitesurfing Pro in Tarifa, while he took home another World Kitesurfing title in 2017.

Kitesurfing, surfing and competitions aren’t enough for someon like Airton, however, an athlete who is always on the lookout for something that reflects his life, a life that is not for everyone. This is why he has designed a special surfboard equipped with a special foil fin that allows him to literally fly over the water. Through this, a new sport comes into being, one which – by using a very similar principle to that of a plane taking off – requires no waves or wind to glide over the water’s surface, irrespective of whether that water belongs to a stream, lake or river. A discipline which requires strength, persistence and perserverence, a discipline which is Not for Everyone.

STERMY Two names are in play here: one tells the life of a man from Liguria and an adopted Londoner, the other a story of success in a virtual world, a world full of adversaries where it’s becoming harder to break through as each day passes. In 15 years as a gamer, Alessandro Avallone, who is more widely known as ‘Stermy’, has recorded numerous international wins in ten different games or, as he calls them, ‘disciplines’. While he dreamed of becoming a professional footballer when he was young, over time he discovered that he could become a winner in the world of online gaming.

Stermy began his career as a gamer in 2001, when he took part in the World Cyber Games, more specifically the Quake III Arena tournament. At the age of just 15, he qualified for the finals in South Korea and became one of the world's most highly acclaimed professional Quake III Arena players. He then turned his attentions to Painkiller and continued to be successful. In 2005, he came third in the final championship event and also took part in the World Series of Video Games, through which he gained international visibility. From shooting games to stategic games, he became the first professional player to get involved in the Championship Gaming Series (CGS) as a FIFA player, competing as part of the Francisco Optx team for two seasons.  As captain, Stermy led the team to second place in the CGS world finals. Since 2009, Stermy has primarily specialised in Quake Live, finishing in the top three at the QuakeCon tournament from 2009 to 2011 and winning the Dreamhack Summer and Winter events with his team in 2011. In 2012, he took part in Shootmania Storm, winning every tournament he competed in, including two world titles in the Electronic Sports World Cup and IGN Pro League. In 2017, he switched to new ID Software title Quake Champions and finished second at QuakeCon. In 2019, he claimed his most recent title, winning the European edition of Twitch Rivals.

Becoming a professional gamer is like an obstacle course, you take it game by game. You have to make a name for yourself and demonstrate on a daily basis that competing in the virtual world can be tougher than in the real world. Not everyone succeeds, it's something that’s Not for Everyone.

JESSICA KAHAWATY Life as a model doesn’t just consist of catwalks, dresses and parties. Continuously travelling from one country to another, from one continent to another, allows young girls to experience different cultures, languages and beliefs on a regular basis. It also allows them to change the way they see things. This is why Jessica Kahawaty can’t just simply be labelled as a model.

Jessica is an ambassador for some of the world's top brands, from IWC Watches to Louis Vuitton, and she’s appeared on the covers of pubblications such as The New York Times, Vogue Worldwide, Elle, L'Officiel, Conde Nast Traveler, Harper's Bazaar and Marie Claire. She has also presented television programmes. But this was never enough for her. Jessica has chosen to go down a path which is not for everyone, using her name to shine a light on issues of global interest and encourage young women to reach their full potential through education and the arts. Her background in Business Finance and Human Rights Law has allowed her to work with international NGOs and humanitarian organisations. Through these, she has encountered very different realities, from the largest refugee camp in Syria through to observing the Rohingya crisis after visiting Bangladesh with the United Nations.

Jessica is not just a model. Jessica is a philanthropist, an ambassador, a missionary. An Australian with Arabic origins, she’s united her two souls and managed to take advantage of being under the spotlight and her name, which became well-known globally in a short amount of time, to spread a positive message, to spread a different message, a message that says: Not for Everyone.

DUAN JINGTING Dare to dream. This is the inspirational and rousing message sent out by D. LAB Dance, the dance school founded and directed by Duan Jingting – a dancer, a choreographer, an artist.

After graduating from the Shanghai Dance School, she won the Special Jury Prize in the Shanghai International Ballet Competition, became the "Best New Ballerina" of the 20th Varna International Ballet Competition in Bulgaria and came third in the seventh National Taoli Cup Dance Competition of Junior Group. She became part of the Shanghai Ballet and Hong Kong Ballet, playing all the major roles in the great classical ballets.

In 2014, she moved behind the scenes and founded the D.LAB DANCE, a school dedicated to both professional and beginner dancers, to children and adults. Many different dances are practised, ranging from classical and modern dance through to traditional Chinese dances. All of this has led to it becoming one of the most well-known schools in Shanghai.

She takes part in a number of television programmes dedicated to dance, from ‘Street Dance of China’ through to ‘Shake it up’, while she also creates the choreography for the show ‘PhantaCity’. Her grace and elegance – traits that not everyone possesses – make Duan Jingting one of the most sought-after artists for fashion magazines. Her face tells the story of hard work, effort, the necessary perseverence to succeed in the world of dance – a world of strong and determined butterflies. A world that is Not for Everyone.

STERMY Due nomi, uno che racconta la vita di un normale ragazzo ligure ma londinese d'adozione, l'altro che narra una storia di vittorie in un mondo virtuale, un mondo pieno di avversari in cui emergere è ogni giorno più difficile. Alessandro Avallone, nome reale del più conosciuto «Stermy», in 15 anni da gamer professionista ha collezionato una lunga serie di vittorie internazionali in 10 differenti giochi o, come le definisce lui, 'discipline'. Se da piccolo sognava di diventare un calciatore professionista con il tempo ha scoperto di poter diventare un vincente nel mondo del gaming online, il nuovo orizzonte digitale sportivo.

Stermy inizia la sua carriera di gamer nel 2001 quando partecipa ai World Cyber Games, nello specifico al torneo di Quake III Arena. A soli 15 anni riesce a qualificarsi alle finali in Corea del Sud e diventa uno dei giocatori professionisti di Quake III Arena più acclamati del mondo. Da Quake passa a Painkiller e continua a mietere successi. Nel 2005 ottiene il terzo posto nell'evento finale del campionato e partecipa al circuito World Series of Video Games, conquistandosi una visibilità internazionale. Dagli sparatutto passa quindi ai game strategici e diventa il primo giocatore professionista a competere in Fifa alle Championship Gaming Series (CGS), gareggiando con il team San Francisco Optx per due stagioni. Come capitano della squadra, Stermy conduce il team al secondo posto nelle finali mondiali CGS. Dal 2009 a oggi Stermy si è specializzato prevalentemente in Quake Live, piazzandosi nei primi tre posti al relativo torneo del QuakeCon negli anni dal 2009 al 2011, e vincendo i Dreamhack Summer e Winter nel 2011 con il suo team. Nel 2012 ha preso parte a Shootmania Storm, vincendo tutti i tornei a cui ha partecipato, tra cui 2 titoli mondiali - Electronic Sports World Cup e IGN Pro League. Nel 2017 è passato a Quake Champions, nuovo titolo della ID Software, portando a casa il secondo posto al QuakeCon. Nel 2019 l'ultimo titolo, il primo posto Europeo al Twitch Rivals.   Stermy è uno dei co-fondatori di FACEIT, la piattaforma leader per le competizioni online nei giochi multiplayer PvP, dove gestisce la parte esport e gaming come Chief Gaming Officer.

Diventare un gamer professionista è come una corsa ad ostacoli, partita dopo partita. Devi rendere il tuo nome memorabile, dimostrare ogni giorno che la competizione nel mondo virtuale può essere più difficile di quella nel mondo reale. E farcela non è da tutti, farcela è una qualità Not for Everyone.

JESSICA KAHAWATY La vita da modella non è solo passerelle, abiti e feste. I viaggi continui da un paese all'altro, da un continente all'altro, permettono a ragazze giovani di confrontarsi continuamente con differenti culture, lingue, credenze. E di cambiare. È per questo che Jessica Kahawaty non può essere definita semplicemente una modella.

Jessica è ambasciatrice di alcuni tra i top brand mondiali, da IWC Watches a Louis Vuitton ed è apparsa sulle copertine di riviste come New York Times, Vogue Worldwide, Elle, L'Officiel, Conde Nast Traveler, Harper's Bazaar and Marie Claire, oltre ad aver presentato alcuni programmi televisivi. Ma questo per lei non è mai stato abbastanza. Jessica ha scelto di percorrere una strada non da tutti, usando il suo nome per accendere la luce su temi di interesse globale e spingere le giovani donne a raggiungere il loro pieno potenziale attraverso l'educazione e le arti. Il suo background nel Business Finance and Human Rights Law gli ha permesso di lavorare con alcune ONG internazionali e con organizzazioni umanitarie grazie alle quali è entrata in contatto con realtà molto diverse, dal campo profughi più grande della Siria, alla visita con le Nazioni Unite in Bangladesh, per la crisi del Rohingya.

Jessica insomma non è solo una modella. Jessica è una filantropa, una ambasciatrice, una missionaria. Australiana di origini arabe, ha unito le sue due anime ed è riuscita ad approfittare delle luci dei riflettori e del suo nome diventato in poco tempo internazionale per diffondere un messaggio positivo, diverso, un messaggio Not for Everyone.

DUAN JINGTING Osate sognare. È questo il messaggio ispirazionale e stimolante della D. LAB Dance, il laboratorio di danza fondato e diretto da Duan Jingting, una ballerina, una coreografa, un'artista.

Dopo il diploma alla Shanghai Dance School, vince lo 'Special Jury Prize' della Shanghai International Ballet Competition, diventa 'Best New Ballerina' nel 20° anno della Varna International Ballet Competition in Bulgaria e ottiene il terzo posto nella settima National Taoli Cup Dance Competition of Junior Group. Entra a far parte dello Shanghai Ballet e dell'Hong Kong Ballet interpretando tutti i maggiori ruoli dei grandi balletti classici.

Nel 2014 Duan si sposta dietro le quinte e fonda la D.LAB DANCE, un laboratorio dedicato a ballerini professionisti e principianti, bambini e adulti, che spazia dalla danza classica alla moderna alle danze tradizionali cinesi, tanto da diventare una delle realtà più riconosciute di Shanghai.

Partecipa a numerosi programmi televisivi dedicati alla danza, da 'Street Dance of China' a 'Shake it up' oltre a realizzare le coreografie per lo show 'PhantaCity'.

La sua grazia ed eleganza non da tutti rendono Duan Jingting una delle più amate artiste di alcune riviste di moda. Il suo volto è infatti in grado di raccontare la fatica, lo sforzo, la costanza necessari per emergere nel mondo della danza, un mondo di farfalle forti e determinate, un mondo Not for Everyone.