G‑STAR transforms workplace support with an AI assistant integrated in Microsoft Teams

“We wanted Maia to feel like a smart colleague, not a chatbot.” 

Nicolas Griffioen, G-STAR’s New Tech Lead, is describing the vision that drove his company’s latest transformation—and the AI assistant that brought it to life.  

Known for pushing boundaries in fashion and sustainability, the global denim brand faced a challenge that, however, had little to do with fashion itself: high volumes of routine IT requests were slowing down work for its 450 retail and 550 corporate employees. 

For Griffioen, this became much more than just an IT challenge; it became a cultural opportunity. “Our goal was to help our employees engage with AI in a safe and practical way within the work environment, optimizing how they work,” he says.  

That’s why the vision went beyond fixing IT issues. From the start, Maia was designed as a smart assistant to guide employees through processes, policies, tutorials, and company objectives, helping them solve problems on their own, find information quickly, and stay productive across every department. 

“We knew that chatbots have been around for a while, so we asked ourselves, ‘How can we do it in a different way and bring it to life in a cooler way?’” says Griffioen. “That’s ultimately what led us to Azure OpenAI and Maia.” 

From denim to digital: G-STAR’s tech journey 

“Breaking the rules, doing things differently—that’s what represents G-STAR,” states Griffioen.

Founded in 1989, G-STAR has a decades-long reputation for innovation, pioneering sustainable denim and redefining fashion. Today, the brand operates in more than 50 countries with hundreds of employees, blending creativity with a commitment to modern technology. 

With G-STAR expanding globally, digital transformation has become essential. The company embraced Microsoft tools early on, rolling out Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365 Copilot, SharePoint, and OneDrive to connect teams and streamline collaboration. 

As operations scaled, new challenges arrived for IT teams, setting the stage for G‑STAR’s next big move: using AI not just as a tool, but as a trusted colleague.

Turning IT overload into an opportunity for transformation

G-STAR’s IT teams were handling a high volume of routine requests that slowed down workflows and made finding answers challenging, especially across multiple languages. The company wanted a solution that could simplify access to information and reduce repetitive tasks without disrupting the way employees work.  

To bring its vision to life, G-STAR partnered with CloudNation and Microsoft to create Maia, an AI assistant powered by Azure OpenAI and Microsoft Foundry. They wanted an AI experience that felt approachable, multilingual, and deeply integrated into the company’s culture.  

That’s precisely what they got. Available 24/7 and fluent in six languages, Maia is built to make work simpler and smarter for G‑STAR’s global workforce. 

“With Maia, we’re showing how powerful Azure OpenAI can be when technology, security, and user experience come together seamlessly,” explains Sebastiaan de Boer, Program Manager AI & Cloud at CloudNation. “This project proves that AI truly delivers impact when it’s deeply embedded within the organization.” 

Built within G-STAR’s own Azure tenant and integrated into Teams, the deployment was led by partner CloudNation with support and oversight from Microsoft. “What makes Maia powerful isn’t the technology alone, but the collaboration that shaped it,” adds Ruben van den Hoven, Microsoft Engagement Manager at CloudNation. “We’ve built a solution that evolves with the organization and empowers every G-STAR employee across the globe.” 

The integration with familiar platforms was key: “Knowing that we could implement this directly within Teams, a platform we really want everyone to use, made it very attractive from the beginning. And from the security side it’s the safest place to put it, ensuring everyone can access it at the same time,” Griffioen adds.  

He also points out G-STAR bold ambitions: “We wanted a scalable, secure solution that could serve as a first point of contact, reduce ticket volume, and make knowledge accessible in multiple languages.” 

Early projections showed the impact could be significant. Maia could reduce IT tickets by up to 40%, freeing IT teams to focus on more complex issues while employees get quick and reliable support. 

Maia: The secure and multilingual digital colleague

Running on Azure, Maia guarantees data ownership and confidentiality, backed by enterprise-grade governance and compliance. It also speaks six languages, making support accessible across global teams.

As Griffioen explains, “Azure gave us the safest place to put it so everyone could access it consistently. And because we built it within our own tenant, the code remains ours, even though it was developed with an agency partner.” 

Rollout began with IT and Retail operations to offer solutions to the key IT challenges. Now, G-STAR is extending to HR, Finance, Legal, and Sustainability teams, supported by workshops and tutorials to build trust and adoption. Continuous collaboration with partner CloudNation also ensured Maia evolved with user feedback.

This helped shape Maia into something practical and approachable but didn’t stop there—the team also gave their new AI assistant a name, a face, and a tone that reflects the brand’s personality. “We wanted Maia to feel useful and interactive, not just another tool,” Griffioen adds. 

Future phases will transform Maia into a true enterprise knowledge hub, helping employees book holidays, submit expenses, access brand assets, and understand company policies—all through natural conversation. 

“We now want her to handle all back-office queries for everyone. She’s learning every single operation in the company, and eventually you’ll be able to ask questions about anything,” says Griffioen.

Driving measurable efficiency while looking ahead

Maia started as a pilot to ease IT pressure, but it quickly became a catalyst for change.

“Because we build everything in Azure, we kind of have it all in our own hands,” says Griffioen, highlighting the sense of ownership behind the solution.

Building on this success, G‑STAR is setting ambitious goals: scaling from 200 to 500 active users, maintaining engagement rates near 80%, and improving resolution accuracy from 60% to 85% within six months. These targets complement projected efficiency gains, including significant cost savings and reduced ticket volumes.

And this is just the beginning. G‑STAR sees Maia as the foundation for a broader AI journey, with plans for voice interaction and specialized agents for recruiting and reporting. “For me, the biggest priority is enabling natural conversation, being able to chat like you can speak,” explains Griffioen.

As an innovative and technology-driven company, G-STAR views MAIA as a single entry point for knowledge and support, integrating information across departments and creating a connected, future-ready organization, where employees can focus on what matters most. “We are testing and going in phases, making sure that we improve as we go. The first reactions have been positive. People are liking it and finding it useful. We’ve got high hopes for the future,” Griffioen concludes.