Fashion usually sets trends, but there are also rare times when it just ends up catching up with them, like in the case of NFTs. As non-fungible tokens exploded into the art world after Christie's record setting auction of Beeple's monumental collage in March 2021, the offers of NFTs multiplied in the fashion industry. Combining a digital NFT offer with a physical item or with special benefits, access and privileges also became a rule for fashion houses, to make a particular digital product more appealing for those fashionistas who still prefer physical items.
The latest to jump on the NFT bandwagon is the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) that will release on December 12 its first-ever exclusive collection of commemorative NFTs.
Entitled "Lighting the Path of American Fashion," powered by Polygon Studios and brought by BNV, a fashion-focused and curated NFT platform for the tokenization, the seven unique NFTs will be auctioned on CFDA.bnv.me between December 12-16 (all proceeds will benefit the CFDA Foundation).
Each NFT will be accompanied by different privileges: Coach's, portraying the brand's mascot, dinosaur Rexy, includes two tickets to a Coach holiday event hosted at Rockefeller Center, a tour of the brand's archives and a Coach ReLoved Bag; Diane von Furstenberg's wrap dress set in a collage incorporating her iconic prints that looks as if it had been generated by an Artificial Intelligence with some sense of humour, a limited colour palette and a penchant for optical illusions, will reward you with a customized DVF wrap dress reminiscent of the one in the NFT, an invitation to the opening of the DVF exhibition in Brussels in April 2023 (travel expenses not covered), a preview of upcoming collections presented by Talita Von Furstenberg (Co-Chairman of DVF) and a meet and greet session with Diane von Furstenberg.
Wes Gordon, Creative Director at Carolina Herrera, opted for a non-fungible token representing a floor length spaghetti strap empire waist evening gown in denim blue, reproducing the silhouette of Herrera's trademark evening dresses, in a lush setting inspired by the theme of the S/S 23 collection - Secret Garden. This NFT comes with the actual dress, an atelier tour and one ticket to an upcoming fashion show with the opportunity to meet Wes Gordon.
Among the less intriguing NFTs there are Michael Kors and Tommy Hilfiger's: the former came up with a one-sleeve long sequinned dress donned by a silver dummy-like model on board of a yacht (this NFT comes with front row seats for two at a Michael Kors Collection fashion show and a backstage meet & greet with the designer); the latter is a classic and rather boring "Hilfiger" rugby shirt (but it will get you an all-expenses paid trip to the next Tommy Hilfiger brand experience with a guest; a custom-made replica of the NFT rugby shirt signed by Mr. Tommy Hilfiger, and a shopping package of five hand-picked items).
Vivienne Tam gets the prize for best digital design as she combined in the dress featured in her NFT (Download CFDA_VT) her Chinese heritage with the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs, the latter were arranged in a Mandala pattern that should represent the basic building blocks found throughout all of nature.
The lucky buyer of Tam's NFT will be rewarded with a one front row seat to next fashion show, a backstage visit, a meeting with Vivienne Tam and one chance to join a design discussion to hear about an upcoming collection (well, at least this opportunity sounds more promising than the usual "meet & greet" session).
Willy Chavarria's NFT is inspired instead by the historic Marble Collegiate Church, the setting for the designer's S/S 23 collection, and will reward one buyer with a full look selected by and styled by the designer and a 45 minute meeting with Chavarria (and his team if desired) virtual or in person.
Opening bids for five of the NFTs is set at $25,000, while Tam and Chavarria's are set at $15,000, and, while you may argue they were created to collect funds for the CFDA (and they have in some cases intriguing rewards), the amounts show the NFTs are not aimed at ordinary people, but at very few wealthy celebrity investors.
Like the Bored Ape Club, these NFTs don't have much to do with fashion or technology, but they are made to tempt the ego of the collectors who will scoop them (and who will then be able to boast about meeting this or that designer - unless the collector is a celebrity already known in the fashion world and therefore used to such meetings…).
Yet, all of us fashion pariahs who can't afford to take part in the auctions shouldn't feel excluded as we will be able to join in another event: the NFTs collection is indeed just one part of CFDA's 60th anniversary celebrations, the other half is a special digital fashion exhibition - entitled "Fashioning the Shades of American Design" - opening in The Sandbox, the blockchain-based virtual world, on December 19.
Featuring 60 looks from the CFDA's six decades and curated by fashion historian and Assistant Curator of Fashion of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Darnell-Jamal Lisby, the event is divided into five themes: Illuminating a Fantasy, Illuminating Romance, Illuminating the Avant-Garde, Illuminating Understanding and Illuminating Soul (agree, a Thesaurus for finding more desirable synonyms wouldn't have hurt…).
While the NFTs are exclusive, the exhibition is inclusive: anyone on The Sandbox can visit the metaverse exhibition. Users will be able to create avatars and virtually meet fashion historian and exhibition curator Darnell-Jamal Lisby, and a few of the designers participating in the exhibition.
The event will feature 60 looks, including Stephen Burrows' colorful layered lettuce hem dress created for the 1973 Battle of Versailles; Dapper Dan's 1980s custom design for Hip-Hop legends Eric B & Rakim; a grunge look from Marc Jacobs' Perry Ellis Spring 1993 collection; a 1970s-inspired look from Anna Sui's A/W 2000 collection, and a Thom Browne crinoline menswear ensemble from his Spring 2020 collection.
There will be a gaming aspect as well in the exhibition and this is the interesting part: obviously NFTs will keep on multiplying next year, widening the gap between the haves and the have-nots, between wealthy maniacal collectors and ordinary people, but will we also see some clever (which means not a mere styling game, but a narrative game with action and a story) fashion videogames being released? Or will physical exhibitions be accompanied every now and then by gaming experiences? As usual, time will tell, but, in the meantime, we can all start dreaming about gaming experiences tailored to all sorts of museum exhibitions.
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