TAKASHI MURAKAMI FINALLY ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF HIS PERSONAL NFT PROJECT
Murakami.Flowers NFT project will be released in Feb 2022.
Resembling famous NFT collectibles such as CryptoPunks, Murakami.Flowers appears as a collection of pixelated characters (flowers) that have slightly different trait values (color, background, facial expression, etc.) which relatively determine their rarity.
Initially, 108 images of collection noscriptd Murakami.Flowers were released on OpenSea back in March 2021 but the project was abruptly cancelled in April. The reason was that it seemed as though the interests in the NFT at auctions were concentrated only on the numbers game, and Takashi Murakami found himself “overly concerned about the market trends than about NFT's creative potential”. Therefore, artist decided to take time and learn more about the possibilities of non-fungibility.
In Dec 2021, Murakami-sama had a chance to learn it by doing. He agreed to cooperate with RTFKT and this unusual (yet very natural) combo resulted in extremely popular Clone X project.
Once again, the overall aura around NFT seems quite suitable for Murakami’s practice, conceptually. However, will Murakami.Flowers reflect the creative potential of NFTs?
Murakami.Flowers NFT project will be released in Feb 2022.
Resembling famous NFT collectibles such as CryptoPunks, Murakami.Flowers appears as a collection of pixelated characters (flowers) that have slightly different trait values (color, background, facial expression, etc.) which relatively determine their rarity.
Initially, 108 images of collection noscriptd Murakami.Flowers were released on OpenSea back in March 2021 but the project was abruptly cancelled in April. The reason was that it seemed as though the interests in the NFT at auctions were concentrated only on the numbers game, and Takashi Murakami found himself “overly concerned about the market trends than about NFT's creative potential”. Therefore, artist decided to take time and learn more about the possibilities of non-fungibility.
In Dec 2021, Murakami-sama had a chance to learn it by doing. He agreed to cooperate with RTFKT and this unusual (yet very natural) combo resulted in extremely popular Clone X project.
Once again, the overall aura around NFT seems quite suitable for Murakami’s practice, conceptually. However, will Murakami.Flowers reflect the creative potential of NFTs?
A BATHING APE ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF (B)APETAVERSE
A Bathing Ape (aka BAPE), one of the most influential Japanese streetwear brands, was founded by Nigo (Tomoaki Nagao) in 1993.
Despite its sucess, in 2013, Nigo officially departed from BAPE. In Sep 2021, after many years of pioneering the streetwear, he has been appointed as an artistic director of Kenzo.
In early 90’s BAPE became a crucial part of the new culture, embodying the connections between streetwear, hip hop and visual art. Jun Takahashi (Undercover), UNKLE, Pharrell Williams, Adidas, and KAWS are just a few names within the list of BAPE’s collaborators.
Today, Jan 2022, A Bathing Ape introduced (B)APETAVERSE, BAPE’s very own NFT community for most dedicated fans.
Classically, BAPE’s first drop will consist of 10,000 unique NFTs that will grant the access to “exclusive BAPE contents in a world of limitless possibilities”. And it goes without saying, NFTs containing the imagery of apes proved to be quite successful.
Meanwhile, the fun fact. A BAPE’s name, accordingly to Nigo, pays respect to founder’s love to science fiction and Planet of the Apes (1968 movie), in particular. It is also a reference to a Japanese phrase “A bathing ape in lukewarm water”, describing a spoiled kid who has an easy, comfortable life. If only crypto non-believers knew the phrase, they would definitely use it against all the crypto enthusiasts. Perhaps, after the drop, huh?
A Bathing Ape (aka BAPE), one of the most influential Japanese streetwear brands, was founded by Nigo (Tomoaki Nagao) in 1993.
Despite its sucess, in 2013, Nigo officially departed from BAPE. In Sep 2021, after many years of pioneering the streetwear, he has been appointed as an artistic director of Kenzo.
In early 90’s BAPE became a crucial part of the new culture, embodying the connections between streetwear, hip hop and visual art. Jun Takahashi (Undercover), UNKLE, Pharrell Williams, Adidas, and KAWS are just a few names within the list of BAPE’s collaborators.
Today, Jan 2022, A Bathing Ape introduced (B)APETAVERSE, BAPE’s very own NFT community for most dedicated fans.
Classically, BAPE’s first drop will consist of 10,000 unique NFTs that will grant the access to “exclusive BAPE contents in a world of limitless possibilities”. And it goes without saying, NFTs containing the imagery of apes proved to be quite successful.
Meanwhile, the fun fact. A BAPE’s name, accordingly to Nigo, pays respect to founder’s love to science fiction and Planet of the Apes (1968 movie), in particular. It is also a reference to a Japanese phrase “A bathing ape in lukewarm water”, describing a spoiled kid who has an easy, comfortable life. If only crypto non-believers knew the phrase, they would definitely use it against all the crypto enthusiasts. Perhaps, after the drop, huh?
TODAY IS THE DAY FOR A #SUPERGUCCI DROP
Later today we will finally see the long-awaited results of collaboration between luxury fashion house Gucci and Superplastic, the leading creator of animated celebrities, vinyl and digital collectibles (including limited-edition designer toys and apparel).
SUPERGUCCI is a collection of 500 NFTs co-created by Gucci's head of design Alessandro Michele and Superplastic’s animated celebrities Janky & Guggimon. Each NFT incorporates classic Gucci patterns, and comes with an exclusive 8-inch tall white ceramic SUPERGUCCI SuperJanky sculpture, hand-crafted by Gucci’s own ceramicists in Italy.
For the 3-part series of NFTs each with their own handcrafted porcelain sculpture, Superplastic’s synthetic artists Janky and Guggimon combine their digital style with the House’s historic codes. In the first release, the famous SuperJanky figure finds itself within ten different whimsical scenarios inspired by Gucci Aria.
This first collection dropping on Feb 1, 10AM ET will be available on Superplastic via Gucci Vault.
The owners of Superplastic NFT (CryptoJanky or Headtripz) will have an exclusive early access to the drop (146 NFTs available).
SUPERGUCCI NFTs will be priced at 1.5 ETH per NFT (which is $4200 at the time of writing).
20 of the 500 SUPERGUCCI NFTs are reserved by Gucci and Superplastic, bringing the number of available NFTs for sale to 480 in total.
Later today we will finally see the long-awaited results of collaboration between luxury fashion house Gucci and Superplastic, the leading creator of animated celebrities, vinyl and digital collectibles (including limited-edition designer toys and apparel).
SUPERGUCCI is a collection of 500 NFTs co-created by Gucci's head of design Alessandro Michele and Superplastic’s animated celebrities Janky & Guggimon. Each NFT incorporates classic Gucci patterns, and comes with an exclusive 8-inch tall white ceramic SUPERGUCCI SuperJanky sculpture, hand-crafted by Gucci’s own ceramicists in Italy.
For the 3-part series of NFTs each with their own handcrafted porcelain sculpture, Superplastic’s synthetic artists Janky and Guggimon combine their digital style with the House’s historic codes. In the first release, the famous SuperJanky figure finds itself within ten different whimsical scenarios inspired by Gucci Aria.
This first collection dropping on Feb 1, 10AM ET will be available on Superplastic via Gucci Vault.
The owners of Superplastic NFT (CryptoJanky or Headtripz) will have an exclusive early access to the drop (146 NFTs available).
SUPERGUCCI NFTs will be priced at 1.5 ETH per NFT (which is $4200 at the time of writing).
20 of the 500 SUPERGUCCI NFTs are reserved by Gucci and Superplastic, bringing the number of available NFTs for sale to 480 in total.
AMBUSH REVEALED ITS ROADMAP
It is fair to say that the history of AMBUSH started in 2002 when Yoon Ahn (a founder and creative director of the brand) was running a namesake design company. At that time, she was creating original album covers and this is where connection with the hip hop scene appeared.
Shortly after that, Yoon Ahn started to design jewelry which gained quite a traction from hip hip celebrities and related fashion clique. In 2008, Ahn and her husband Verbal launched AMBUSH® as experimental jewelry label, known for innovative pop art inspired designs capturing a distinct Tokyo aesthetic.
After teasing fans with the announcement of the first friends and family NFT project as a homage to the design genesis of the brand (POW!®), AMBUSH® finally revealed its roadmap denoting the date of POW!® “Reboot” NFT drop.
14 Feb 2022, AMBUSH® will mint 2,022 NFTs which supposedly will grant some perks for POW!® “Reboot” holders in the AMBUSH® very own METAUNIVERSE.
It is fair to say that the history of AMBUSH started in 2002 when Yoon Ahn (a founder and creative director of the brand) was running a namesake design company. At that time, she was creating original album covers and this is where connection with the hip hop scene appeared.
Shortly after that, Yoon Ahn started to design jewelry which gained quite a traction from hip hip celebrities and related fashion clique. In 2008, Ahn and her husband Verbal launched AMBUSH® as experimental jewelry label, known for innovative pop art inspired designs capturing a distinct Tokyo aesthetic.
After teasing fans with the announcement of the first friends and family NFT project as a homage to the design genesis of the brand (POW!®), AMBUSH® finally revealed its roadmap denoting the date of POW!® “Reboot” NFT drop.
14 Feb 2022, AMBUSH® will mint 2,022 NFTs which supposedly will grant some perks for POW!® “Reboot” holders in the AMBUSH® very own METAUNIVERSE.
The legal battle between French luxury brand Hermès and the creator of the MetaBirkins — virtual interpretations of the famed bag sold as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) — is shaping up as one of fashion’s big intellectual-property fights of the blockchain era.
In its lawsuit Hermès argued that Mason Rothschild misused the Birkin name by selling a collection of 100 MetaBirkin NFTs in December.
“Many people assume that, when you talk about an NFT, the content of the NFT is inside the token, which it is not, and because it is not, there is no unauthorized reproduction,” said Primavera De Filippi, co-author of “Blockchain and the Law”.
Even if the luxury brand wins its case against the creator of the virtual interpretations of its famed bag, the NFTs can’t be erased, at least not in any conventional sense.
While there is a chance the parties will settle before the case makes it to trial, the fact that Hermès decided to pursue a case at all is interesting in itself.
Marc Bain, Business of Fashion
In its lawsuit Hermès argued that Mason Rothschild misused the Birkin name by selling a collection of 100 MetaBirkin NFTs in December.
“Many people assume that, when you talk about an NFT, the content of the NFT is inside the token, which it is not, and because it is not, there is no unauthorized reproduction,” said Primavera De Filippi, co-author of “Blockchain and the Law”.
Even if the luxury brand wins its case against the creator of the virtual interpretations of its famed bag, the NFTs can’t be erased, at least not in any conventional sense.
While there is a chance the parties will settle before the case makes it to trial, the fact that Hermès decided to pursue a case at all is interesting in itself.
Marc Bain, Business of Fashion
「12 MONTHS OF AFTERLIFE」 ARE READY FOR THE SECOND DROP
Vogue Singapore is not new to tech. Launched in 2020 during the pandemic, it began with a 360-degree digital experience in place of a launch gala, and soon after introduced augmented reality “holograms” that enable readers to see 360-degree, moving models in their own space by scanning a QR code (technically backed by Beem). The September print cover is also a QR code that, when scanned, introduces multiple digital covers – VOGUEBUSINESS
So it's not at all surprising that Vogue Singapore stepped into 2022 with a new NFT project and its first contributing metaverse editor Krista Kim.
This time it is a collaboration with multidisciplinary artist Luna Ikuta. The 12-piece collection by Ikuta is noscriptd 12 months of Afterlife —veritable digital floral wonders composed of 12 bouquets. Her striking aesthetics are created through merging bioengineering and aquascaping—a process that clears the plant compound’s pigments and chlorophyll, leaving the flowers’ form and structure perfectly intact – Brytehall
The first drop – magazine’s actual cover, that as NFT calendar, combines 12 bouquets, took place on SuperRare, Jan 2022.
The second drop, which is additional 12 NFTs (also available on SuperRare) is announced for 8 Feb 2022, and judging from the artist's teasing, those NFTs are truly mesmerizing.
All 13 artworks are brought to life as looped videos. Each NFT comes in edition of one and also includes a Vogue Singapore x Luna Ikuta calendar featuring the collection, signed by the artist.
Vogue Singapore is not new to tech. Launched in 2020 during the pandemic, it began with a 360-degree digital experience in place of a launch gala, and soon after introduced augmented reality “holograms” that enable readers to see 360-degree, moving models in their own space by scanning a QR code (technically backed by Beem). The September print cover is also a QR code that, when scanned, introduces multiple digital covers – VOGUEBUSINESS
So it's not at all surprising that Vogue Singapore stepped into 2022 with a new NFT project and its first contributing metaverse editor Krista Kim.
This time it is a collaboration with multidisciplinary artist Luna Ikuta. The 12-piece collection by Ikuta is noscriptd 12 months of Afterlife —veritable digital floral wonders composed of 12 bouquets. Her striking aesthetics are created through merging bioengineering and aquascaping—a process that clears the plant compound’s pigments and chlorophyll, leaving the flowers’ form and structure perfectly intact – Brytehall
The first drop – magazine’s actual cover, that as NFT calendar, combines 12 bouquets, took place on SuperRare, Jan 2022.
The second drop, which is additional 12 NFTs (also available on SuperRare) is announced for 8 Feb 2022, and judging from the artist's teasing, those NFTs are truly mesmerizing.
All 13 artworks are brought to life as looped videos. Each NFT comes in edition of one and also includes a Vogue Singapore x Luna Ikuta calendar featuring the collection, signed by the artist.
ECHOES is a virtual exhibition that reimagines a specific site in Los Angeles by digitally remodeling its landscape and incorporating the 3D sculptures, architectural renderings, and digital interventions around the area. In the tradition of speculative architecture, ECHOES deliberately creates a fictitious narrative about the real physical space in order to understand the social landscape that resonates with the sound of underrepresented voices in the most natural way.
ECHOES is an experimental collaboration between EPOCH gallery and LACMA’s Art + Technology Lab featuring the latter's grant recipients and organized by artist and EPOCH creator Peter Wu+. Similarly to all the latest exhibitions by EPOCH, it will be minted on Algorand blockchain as singular NFT (containing the artworks of all participating artists), in edition of 5.
The exhibition’s virtual landscape is modeled after the physical excavation area of LACMA’s east campus, as well as neighboring locales around Wilshire Boulevard in LA. When encountering the digital twin of the LACMA campus virtually, one has this eerie Freudian feeling of “strange within the familiar, the strangely familiar, or the familiar as strange” (Mark Fisher). Yet it’s not a bad or necessarily wrong experience, it's a rather captivating one…
To a certain extent, ECHOES structure is reminiscent of echo verse. It seems like every line, every art piece reverberates through the digital environment, in an attempt to prolong the previous statement. In this manner, liberation that can be found in ever-changing non-binary gender identity (explored by Lukas Avendaño, EYIBRA, NNUX and Oswaldo Erreve in Avatar Muxe project) poetically echoing the themes of a physical confinement from Electropods by Jen Liu and culminating in Moat, sonic oasis by Kiyomi Gork and Rhett LaRue. In a similar way, the localized social issue appears as a recurring motif across the exhibition: Urban Light (domestic monument proposed by American Artist) which recalls the other side of American dream, is being followed by a striking metaphor of Landlords (by Sarah Rara) pointing out the housing problem, that finds its answer in spectacular architecture of lightness (Swarm City by Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello). And then, while marveling the floating Swarm City of LA (with its reduced need for cars), we found ourselves at The Archive (by Lawrence Lek), being captured by the haunting imagery of the fictional smart city of SimBeijing build to test sentient autonomous vehicles and urban surveillance systems. At this point, the Death Drive (the noscript of upcoming CGI film by Lawrence Lek) brings us back to Freud and his “unheimlich”, the strangely familiar recognition of a newfound place...
ECHOES is available online through February 4 – May 6, 2022
On Feb 15, ECHOES NFTs will be available on the gallery's website, priced at 9494 ALGO each. 70% of revenue will be split evenly between all the participating artists, 10% will remain with EPOCH, and 20% will go back to LACMA to help fund future projects for their Art+Tech Lab recipients.
@mzm2night
ECHOES is an experimental collaboration between EPOCH gallery and LACMA’s Art + Technology Lab featuring the latter's grant recipients and organized by artist and EPOCH creator Peter Wu+. Similarly to all the latest exhibitions by EPOCH, it will be minted on Algorand blockchain as singular NFT (containing the artworks of all participating artists), in edition of 5.
The exhibition’s virtual landscape is modeled after the physical excavation area of LACMA’s east campus, as well as neighboring locales around Wilshire Boulevard in LA. When encountering the digital twin of the LACMA campus virtually, one has this eerie Freudian feeling of “strange within the familiar, the strangely familiar, or the familiar as strange” (Mark Fisher). Yet it’s not a bad or necessarily wrong experience, it's a rather captivating one…
To a certain extent, ECHOES structure is reminiscent of echo verse. It seems like every line, every art piece reverberates through the digital environment, in an attempt to prolong the previous statement. In this manner, liberation that can be found in ever-changing non-binary gender identity (explored by Lukas Avendaño, EYIBRA, NNUX and Oswaldo Erreve in Avatar Muxe project) poetically echoing the themes of a physical confinement from Electropods by Jen Liu and culminating in Moat, sonic oasis by Kiyomi Gork and Rhett LaRue. In a similar way, the localized social issue appears as a recurring motif across the exhibition: Urban Light (domestic monument proposed by American Artist) which recalls the other side of American dream, is being followed by a striking metaphor of Landlords (by Sarah Rara) pointing out the housing problem, that finds its answer in spectacular architecture of lightness (Swarm City by Ronald Rael and Virginia San Fratello). And then, while marveling the floating Swarm City of LA (with its reduced need for cars), we found ourselves at The Archive (by Lawrence Lek), being captured by the haunting imagery of the fictional smart city of SimBeijing build to test sentient autonomous vehicles and urban surveillance systems. At this point, the Death Drive (the noscript of upcoming CGI film by Lawrence Lek) brings us back to Freud and his “unheimlich”, the strangely familiar recognition of a newfound place...
ECHOES is available online through February 4 – May 6, 2022
On Feb 15, ECHOES NFTs will be available on the gallery's website, priced at 9494 ALGO each. 70% of revenue will be split evenly between all the participating artists, 10% will remain with EPOCH, and 20% will go back to LACMA to help fund future projects for their Art+Tech Lab recipients.
@mzm2night
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JULIAN ASSANGE & PAK LAUNCHED NFTS COLLECTION CENSORED
Jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and digital artist Pak launched their NFT collection on Feb 7. The proceeds will go toward Assange’s legal battles, as well as freedom of information causes.
Vivienne Chow, Artnet
Jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and digital artist Pak launched their NFT collection on Feb 7. The proceeds will go toward Assange’s legal battles, as well as freedom of information causes.
Vivienne Chow, Artnet
GUCCI PURCHASED THE LAND IN THE METAVERSE
High-end luxury fashion house Gucci announced that it is building its own virtual world on Sandbox.
Under the brand’s Gucci Vault, online concept store created from the vision of Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele, upcoming virtual space promises immersive experiences and, of course, digital wearables.
High-end luxury fashion house Gucci announced that it is building its own virtual world on Sandbox.
Under the brand’s Gucci Vault, online concept store created from the vision of Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele, upcoming virtual space promises immersive experiences and, of course, digital wearables.
PRADA LAUNCHES DIGITAL LOOKS FOR RIDERS REPUBLIC VIDEO GAME
Prada's technical sportswear-infused line Linea Rossa has entered the world of fashion gaming. Following in the footsteps of other luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, who previously partnered with League of Legends, or Burberry, who created the skins for Honor of Kings, Prada have debuted three sporting outfits for the video game Riders Republic® in partnership with Ubisoft - SHOWstudio
As a result of this partnership, each player will be able to customise its character by choosing Prada Linea Rossa outfits – The Flame, Wild Stripes and Camouflage Rock – and sports gear – skis, a snowboards and bikes – created especially for the game by Prada.
Starting February 8th, players are able to explore the Riders Republic social hub with some areas bedecked with Prada Linea Rossa colours and immerse themselves in a new themed experience - Prada
Prada's technical sportswear-infused line Linea Rossa has entered the world of fashion gaming. Following in the footsteps of other luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, who previously partnered with League of Legends, or Burberry, who created the skins for Honor of Kings, Prada have debuted three sporting outfits for the video game Riders Republic® in partnership with Ubisoft - SHOWstudio
As a result of this partnership, each player will be able to customise its character by choosing Prada Linea Rossa outfits – The Flame, Wild Stripes and Camouflage Rock – and sports gear – skis, a snowboards and bikes – created especially for the game by Prada.
Starting February 8th, players are able to explore the Riders Republic social hub with some areas bedecked with Prada Linea Rossa colours and immerse themselves in a new themed experience - Prada
GENSHIN IMPACT'S MIHOYO PROMISES TO CREATE IMMERSIVE CROSS-MEDIA VIRTUAL WORLD
All-new HoYoverse is planning "to create a vast and content-driven virtual world that integrates games, anime, and other diverse types of entertainment, which will provide players with a high level of freedom and immersion," said Haoyu Cai, co-founder and CEO of HoYoverse.
"We will continue to focus on long-term operation strategies, consistent technical research, and innovation in a variety of fields, including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and pipeline construction, to ensure that sufficient content is created to meet the expectations of players worldwide for a virtual world experience".
Therefore, once again we witness the genesis of the metaworld with separate ecosystems yet there's still some hope for interoperability on a higher level.
All-new HoYoverse is planning "to create a vast and content-driven virtual world that integrates games, anime, and other diverse types of entertainment, which will provide players with a high level of freedom and immersion," said Haoyu Cai, co-founder and CEO of HoYoverse.
"We will continue to focus on long-term operation strategies, consistent technical research, and innovation in a variety of fields, including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and pipeline construction, to ensure that sufficient content is created to meet the expectations of players worldwide for a virtual world experience".
Therefore, once again we witness the genesis of the metaworld with separate ecosystems yet there's still some hope for interoperability on a higher level.
Due to Russian aggression against Ukraine, the work of this channel had been on pause. It felt wrong to write about NFTs, metaverse or fashion while Russian army is killing peaceful citizens of Ukraine, raping defenseless women in front of their children and destroying entire cities from the sky.
We have Ukrainians in our team.
And it still feels wrong to talk about NFTs, metaverse or fashion. But lately we have seen numerous cases when fashion and NFTs are working for the sake of people and the common good. Therefore, we are ready to move on. Until someone stops Putinizm, WE ARE UKRAINE.
#standwithukraine
We have Ukrainians in our team.
And it still feels wrong to talk about NFTs, metaverse or fashion. But lately we have seen numerous cases when fashion and NFTs are working for the sake of people and the common good. Therefore, we are ready to move on. Until someone stops Putinizm, WE ARE UKRAINE.
#standwithukraine