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Reference Studios, the Berlin-based communications agency that Mumi Haiati founded in 2017, has appointed Simon Whitehouse as CEO. Whitehouse joins the agency after stints at creative company Art Partner, sustainable strategy firm Eco-Age, and JW Anderson, where he was also CEO.

With clients like Nike, Gucci, Supreme, and RIMOWA, Reference Studios boasts impressive fashion industry credentials. It also oversees the biannual Reference Festival, a 24-hour event in its native Berlin that invites participation from a vast collective of likeminded artists, organizations, and peers, including stalwart retailers like Dover Street Market and Selfridges.

New CEO Whitehouse also founded EBITTM (Enjoy Being in Transition), a multi-faceted imprint inspired by old-school British rave culture that's experimented with shoppable NFT concepts as part of an overarching exploration of mental health. Past collaborators include the likes of Glen Lucford and Michel Gaubert.

Reference Studios will now add EBITTM to its roster of clients.

This announcement coincides with the February 1 debut of Reference Studios' new Milanese showroom and offices, imagined by tastemaking firm NM3, also headquartered in Milan.

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