Stephanie Hirschmiller

Gucci's Ancora experience on Zepeto. Image: Gucci

Gucci's Milan Fashion Week Show Debuts on Roblox and Zepeto

New Gucci creative director Sabato de Sarno made his eagerly anticipated runway debut at Milan Fashion Week on Friday—and now the luxury giant has unveiled a metaverse recreation of the event that anyone can experience across multiple platforms. The collection, entitled “Ancora” (meaning “yet” or “even now”), is described by the brand as “a story of joy of life, of passion, of humanity, of people, of real life"—as well as "inclusive, as in everyone is welcomed.” The Kering-owned Italian powerhou...

An augmented reality look from the London Design Museum exhibit. Image: Snap

London Design Museum Lets Visitors Test Iconic Runway Looks via AR

Opening Saturday in London, a blockbuster fashion exhibition at The Design Museum is transporting visitors backstage at London Fashion Week via augmented reality (AR) in an experience powered by Snapchat maker Snap. Sponsored by fashion house Alexander McQueen, “Rebel: 30 Years of London Fashion” celebrates London’s fashion talent of the last three decades. Looks on show at the multimedia exhibition include Marjan Pejoski’s “swan dress” worn by Icelandic musician Björk at the 2001 Oscars, Harry...

The Christie's x MNTGE Keith Haring patch. Image: MNTGE

Christie's Turns Keith Haring Digital Art Into NFC-Equipped Patch

With five digital drawings from legendary pop artist Keith Haring currently up for sale as NFTs, auction house Christie’s has teamed with connected fashion brand MNTGE to release a physical patch inspired by one of the works—with a tech twist of its own. The Christie’s auction, Keith Haring: Pixel Pioneer, is currently underway with digital paintings created on a Commodore Amiga computer in 1987 and minted as Ethereum NFTs by the Keith Haring Foundation. MNTGE has converted one of the drawings (...

Diesel Debuts Digital Apparel for Meta Avatars With DressX

Buzzy Gen-Z fashion favorite Diesel is launching an exclusive collection on the Meta Avatars Store in collaboration with digital fashion house, DressX. The denim-centric Italian brand helmed by creative director Glenn Martens joins the store’s current luxury lineup, which includes the likes of Valentino, Balenciaga, Prada, and Thom Browne. The collection features 10 emblematic Diesel looks that mirror the brand’s physical in-store offering. As such, buyers will be able to outfit their avatars i...

Panerai to Include NFT 'Digital Passport' With All Luxury Watches

Italian luxury watch brand Panerai announced Wednesday that it will include an NFT-based “digital passport” with all watches purchased from October 3, expanding an initiative that the firm began in 2022. Each Panerai digital passport will contain comprehensive information about the timepiece in question, constituting its digital identity. Granted to the client at the time of purchase, it acts as proof of the watch’s authenticity. The Richemont-owned brand partnered with Web3 solutions provider A...

A still image from Diesel's animated NFT artwork. Image: Diesel/Public Pressure

Diesel Offers Access to Milan Fashion Week Show With Latest NFT Drop

Diesel’s Milan Fashion Week shows are buzzworthy events guaranteed to grab the attention of its Gen-Z fanbase, with last season’s runway backdropped by a mountain of 200,000 co-branded Durex condoms. And when the Spring 2024 collection bows on September 20, there will be up to 300 extra guests—thanks to NFTs. The Italian label, helmed by creative director Glenn Martens, is teaming up with Web3 culture and music platform Public Pressure for Metamorph, a limited edition run of 300 digital collecti...

Unicorn Avatar Startup Genies Reveals $500K Digital Fashion Fund

Genies, the metaverse avatar tech company that achieved a $1 billion valuation in April 2022, has revealed its next moves: a social network of crowdsourced mini-games, fueled by a $500,000 digital fashion fund that includes celebrity co-creation opportunities. The startup will launch The Workshop, a platform of 3D design tools and creative prompts that digital artists can leverage to create Genies-ready digital clothing and object assets. This will include a library comprising thousands of curat...

Louis Vuitton's Via Treasure Trunk NFTs were minted using Aura tools. Image: Louis Vuitton

Louis Vuitton and Prada-Backed Aura Blockchain Consortium Names New CEO

The Aura Blockchain Consortium, a group that counts the companies behind luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Prada among its ranks, is adding to its C-suite with Thursday’s announcement of a new CEO. The Swiss non-profit association has announced the appointment of tech entrepreneur Romain Carrere as CEO. He will also take on the role of General Secretary. Carrere joins at a critical point for Aura as the platform approaches what is being billed as “a new phase of growth.” “We are delighted to...

Keith Haring's "Untitled #1" from 1987 (cropped). Image: Christie's

'Pixel Pioneer': Christie's to Auction Keith Haring Digital Art as NFTs

Known for his era-defining pop art in the 1980s tied to his social activism, Keith Haring’s work stands the test of time. Now, a selection of digital drawings that the late artist created in 1987 will be sold by auction house Christie’s as Ethereum NFTs. On Tuesday, Christie’s announced that it will host “Keith Haring: Pixel Pioneer,” an online auction of five digital works originally created by Haring on a Commodore Amiga computer. Haring was given the device by the late psychologist and author...

Casio Dropping Free NFTs to 'Co-Create' Virtual G-Shock Watches

Japanese electronics giant Casio is expanding its sporty G-Shock watch brand into the metaverse with the launch of Virtual G-Shock, a blockchain-based “community co-creation” program in partnership with Polygon Labs. The first step on the roadmap is a collection of 15,000 free-to-mint G-Shock Creator Pass NFTs, which afford holders access to the program’s newly unveiled Discord channel. There they can enter a co-creation competition to create a variant design for the passes. The winner will be...

Adidas artwork from Dear Nostalgia. Image: Adidas

Adidas Creates Residency for NFT Artists With Plans for Physical Collabs

Adidas /// Studio (aka Three Stripes Studio) announced on Thursday the global launch of a digital artist in residency program called Residency by Adidas. The streetwear brand’s program will spotlight global artists and begin in September during Korea Blockchain Week in Seoul. This first digital artwork sale will feature pieces from pseudonymous artist MonkeeMoto and Adra Kandil (aka Dear Nostalgia), and span both limited edition and open edition Ethereum NFT artwork mints. The oeuvre of Tokyo-ba...

Adidas Originals Triple-White Forum 84 BAPE Low. Image: Adidas

Adidas and BAPE Team for Ultra-Limited Sneakers With Digital Twins

Apparel brands Adidas Originals and BAPE have unveiled a limited-edition sneaker collaboration for the Triple-White Forum 84 BAPE Low, which will be auctioned off and paired with a “digital twin” NFT version of the kicks that can potentially be worn in the metaverse. Supported by the Adidas /// Studio (Three Stripes Studio), the auction will be centered around redeemable NFTs via the Adidas Collect platform. While Adidas has previously launched multiple initiatives around NFTs, this is the first...

Zepeto, Jump Crypto Joint Venture ZTX Raises $13M for Metaverse Platform on Arbitrum

Prominent South Korean metaverse platform Zepeto is expanding into the blockchain space with its ZTX (ZepetoX) initiative, created in partnership with Jump Crypto—and today, ZTX announced a $13 million seed round led by its venture capital partner. The Jump Crypto-led round includes other investors such as Collab+Currency, Parataxis, MZ Web3 Fund, Everest Ventures Group. Valued at over $1 billion, the mobile-first Zepeto is billed as Asia’s largest “Web2” metaverse platform by active user metric...

Why the MET Is Expanding Into the Metaverse With Roblox

Roblox users can now score digital versions of Van Gogh’s famous straw hat for their avatars. While they may not have the fashion cachet of the digital Dionysus bags available to players of 2021’s Gucci Garden experience, Van Gogh's hat makes up for it in cultural currency. These new wearables—alongside digital suits of armor, Medusa hair, and Egyptian Pharaoh masks—are part of a new collaboration between Roblox and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Met has teamed up with the gaming pl...

You Can Try On Copenhagen Fashion Week's Latest Styles in the Metaverse

The largest fashion event in Scandinavia has enlisted a luxury mobile style game to enhance its program with daily in-game challenges. Fans of Copenhagen Fashion Week can style avatars and put together streetwear outfits in Drest beginning Monday and running through Saturday, Aug. 12. The companies pitch vibes ranging from the front row of runway shows to renown street style photographers like Phil Oh and Tommy Ton. The collaboration will spotlight Nordic brands such as Ganni, Remain, Cecilie B...

Zero10 and JD Sports Offer Virtual Try-On of Nike Apparel at IRL Stores

The latest deal for virtual try-on company ZERO10 is an IRL collaboration with JD Sports in the latter’s Times Square New York and State Street Chicago flagship stores. ZERO10’s AR Mirrors animate the new JD Sports x Nike Need it Now collection, allowing visitors to virtually try on 18 items—some of which come with additional AR enhancement effects like water droplets. In addition to the virtual try-on mirrors, ZERO10 is premiering a new application of the technology as a point-of-sale tool via...

Gucci Reveals Rewards for Vault Material NFT Holders

Holders of the Gucci Material NFTs can now exchange the tokens for a Gucci bifold wallet or a Gucci x 10KTF co-branded duffle bag. The reveal follows months of speculation about the planned utility behind the 2,896 NFTs minted in March. The Kering owned brand went live this week with a redeem facility on partner platform 10KTF.shop. One Gucci Vault Material NFT can be redeemed for the wallet, while you need three tokens to redeem the duffle. The copywriting team provided a tongue-in-cheek write...

The British Museum Will Enter the Metaverse via 'The Sandbox'

London cultural stalwart The British Museum is partnering with Ethereum-based metaverse game, The Sandbox, to create a range of NFT digital collectibles in conjunction with the museum’s licensing partner, French startup LaCollection. According to a press release, these will “reflect the breadth and depth of The British Museum’s collections,” offering “new immersive experiences.” The British Museum will also create its own immersive space within the online game world, putting it alongside modern...

Fashion Brand MNTGE's New NFTs Unlock Physical Patches From Noted Artists

Digital fashion brand MNTGE is back with its latest drop today called Patchwork, a limited edition collection of 7,500 Ethereum NFT patches that can be redeemed for physical versions that come equipped with NFC chips. Each patch from the vintage-centric, Web3-native brand has been custom-designed by one of 11 contemporary artists, whose work spans diverse media from digital art to more traditional forms like embroidery, illustration, and tattooing. Many are already well-known across the NFT art...

A screenshot from Lacoste's new virtual store. Image: Lacoste/Emperia

Lacoste's New Virtual Store Has Exclusive Perks for Ethereum NFT Holders

Apparel brand Lacoste is opening up a new virtual store for the summer. Created by retail technology developer Emperia, the digital rendition combines a more traditional immersive retail experience with elements exclusive to holders of Lacoste’s UNDW3 NFT passes. UNDW3 (pronounced “underwater”) is the name of the French brand’s NFT-based loyalty program. The virtual store experience is accessed via Lacoste’s standard e-commerce platform. After entering via the mouth of the brand’s emblematic cro...

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