<div class="page" title="Page 119"><div class="section"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p> <span>U</span> <span>n</span> <span>a</span><span> </span><span>web 3.0 guide</span> <span>between collection launches,</span> <span>NFTs</span> <span>and</span> virtual <span>fashion weeks</span> <span>in a reality that will not be parallel but</span> <span>hybrid, fluid and interconnected</span> <span>. A</span> <span>digital ecosystem</span> <span>that includes all the</span> <span>functions</span> <span>,</span> <span>interactions</span> <span>and different</span> <span>souls of the Internet</span></p></div></div></div></div>

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          <p style="text-align: justify;"><span>It is the most discussed topic of the moment, but perhaps also the least understood. Metaverse, NFT, avatar and crypto wallet. The announcement of the name change of the Zuckerberg universe was the spark that ignated the beginning of a new era, made of pixels and VR headsets for virtual reality. But if initially it was a dimension intended only for nerds, today also fashion brands are launching themselves with a straight leg in this parallel universe. To many, this transition to the extension of the Internet as we know it today in a relity that wil not be parallel to ours, but hybrid, fluid and interconnected, a digital ecosystem that includes all the functions, interactions and different souls of the internet. The definition comes from a 1992 science fiction novel by Neal Stephenson titled "Snow Crash", in which the protagonist's visual alter ego lives a parallel life, in the Metaverse, in which he makes friends, makes experiences and purchases. The novel that has already had a great influence on digital culture - just remembered that the term "avatar" has beome popular mainly thanks to this book - has also predetermined the concepts of many experimental models of virtual reality. The principle does not differ much from what Mark Zuckerberg imagined for the future of Meta, the rebranding of Facebook, which provides for a social network in which the user will become a participating and active actor, "able to do almost anything he can imagine - being together with friends and family, working, learning, playing, buying, creating - as well as experiencing completely new things that don't really fit the way we think about computers or phones today." The first physical translation of this project took place with the Ray-Ban Wayfarer smart glasses made by Meta and Lucottica, presented in September, with which it is possible to share abd publish photos and videos in real time on social media, as well as making calls without using the smart-phone. What today comes closest to the Metaverse are the gaming platforms, such as Fortnite and Roblox, with which several Maison have experienced their entry into this interconnected future. In each of these platforms - which to define video games would be an understatement - the user has the possibility to create his own avatar both in terms of physiognomy and in terms of style and accessories, socialize with other users and buy goods and products with crypto currency. Many brands have used these spaces to find new forms of promotion, such as customized skins (graphic garments, in other words: avatar outfits). Among the first to do so, Louis Vuitton, which in April 2022 updates its Louis: The Game app, launched in August 2021, to encourage players to delve into the two hundered years of its history by rewarding them with the possible win of ten Vvienne NFTs, the protagonist of the game that presents itself as an anthropomorphism of the company's monogram. The NFTs in question portray Vivienne in different looks and can be used on all platforms or as an avatar on social networks, in a similar way to a PFP (acronym for Photo for Pro-file, NFT, used as a profile image especially on Twitter). Louis: The Game is available on Android and Apple, and has been downloaded two million times. The NFTs in question were created in collaboration with the event startup Wenew Labs, founded by Beeple Mike Winkelmann, the very Beeple author of the NFT "Everydays the first 5000 Days", the third most expensive work ever sold in the auction. 'art. After all, the Gucci brand has also collaborated with the Wenew Labs for its recent 10KTF Gucci Grail project for Gucci Vault. Vault presented Gucci Grail, a unique collection of custom NFT suits for PFPs (short for "picture for proof", considered the profile image in the Metaverse), concieved by Alessandro Michele and created by digital artist Wafmi-san as part of&nbsp; a collaboration with his digital store 10KFT. Gucci was among the first brands in the luxury sectoe to confront the NFT when, in May 2021, it auctioned a unique work of art taken from the film for the "Gucci Aria" collection, within a dedicated Christie's auction, donating the proceeds to UNICEF USA. In 2022, the House also partnered with SUPERPLASTIC thorugh Vault to create a series of rare and limited edition NFTs made by animation artist Janky &amp; Guggimon. By partnering with a number of crypto-native creators, Vault acts as a gateway to a myraid of opportunities, ragining from NFTs to experiences in digital ecosystems like The SandBox and beyond.</span></p>
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<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;">Other noteworthy initiatives: the collection launched last September by Balenciaga for Fortnite, divided between virtual and real, and that of Moncler, which also created a version inspired by the 6 Moncler 1017 Alyx 9SM line created by Matthew Williams for Fortnite, also creative director of <strong>Givenchy</strong> , which launched an NFT auction in collaboration with the artist CHITO . After the creation of Nikeland, a Roblox translation of the real headquarters of the brand, the news of the acquisition by Nike of RTFKT, a company specialized in the creation of digital sneakers, with a very strong community that had caused a sensation for the sale, last February, of a collection of NFT sneakers at a price of over 3 million dollars. Virtual sneakers are born to be shared in social posts or in the</span> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit;">gaming world. And here the question arises as to what are the NF T, the digital tokens, which appeared for the first time in the art world and which are affecting the design and fashion markets for a renewed concept of "exclusivity". But what are they actually? &ldquo;Non-fungible token&rdquo; means &ldquo;non-replaceable&rdquo;. While a bitcoin, the digital crypto currency, can be exchanged for another bitcoin, the NFT is a unique digital element</span> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">that represents only and only the object it is associated with. It is perhaps the first time that we really talk about copyright in the digital field, since in the 2000s digital piracy actions, from Torrent to Napster, were rampant. Their uniqueness is protected by a blockchain tracking system. An NFT can be a digital artifact such as music, GIFs, digital artwork, clothing and accessories, which are sold on market places within the metaverse. The idea is in theory to show off a look or a sneaker in the virtual world, like on the streets of Decentraland, the virtual world created online (similar to the Sims of the 2000s for those who remember them), or in the shots on social media. A phenomenon also ridden by the Dressx app where you can do real virtual fashion shows, or interact with the gaming platforms. Decentraland also hosted the first <strong>Metaverse Fashion Week</strong> in March or the MVFW, the largest digital fashion event to date. Open to anyone connected online with a full program of shows, events, parties and ad hoc NF T drops. The event was a springboard for fashion brands such as Paco Rabanne, Dolce &amp; Gabbana, Etro, Tommy Hilfiger, Dundas, who joined digital fashion companies such as Auroboros, DressX, while Giuseppe Zanotti participated with neUno partners (an NFT marketplace) and Deadfellaz (NFT community). Similar to traditional global fashion weeks, Metaverse Fashion Week hosted more than 50 luxury brands and digital brands to present new collections and create presentations, discussions, concerts, after parties and film installations - all virtual. A luxury shopping area called &ldquo;Boson Portal</span> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">Fashion District&rdquo; was designed in the likeness of Paris's iconic Avenue Montaigne, where brands can virtually sell through NFTs.</span></p>

A look by Etro that will be shown on Friday 25 March at the MVFW

<div class="page" title="Page 120"><div class="section"><div class="section"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">If the Metaverse Fashion Week had the power to introduce digital fashion houses such as The Fabricant, Placebo and the first digital Haute Couture Maison Auroboros, whose Biomimicry collection, after having digitally debuted at London Fashion Week, and being on show at Victoria &amp; Albert Museum, was auctioned on UNXD, an NFT marketplace. Dolce &amp; Gabbana has created a collection of 20 “haute digital” dresses created especially for MVFW and not based on an existing collection. After the show, the entire collection the entire collection landed in the exclusive Dolce &amp; Gabbana pop-up on Decentraland, a move that anticipates the launch of DGFamily, an exclusive NFT community in collaboration with UNXD. Etro played on recontextualized heritage, creating the <strong>Etro &quot;Liquid Paisley&quot;</strong> motif with a gender fluid fashion show that also celebrates the</span> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">brand&#39;s first virtual pop-up store, to allow users to purchase Etro garments and accessories by landing directly on etro.com or to customize their avatars with the garments of the collection. Tommy Hilfiger virtually showcased its Spring 2022 collections alongside a digital</span> <span style="font-size: 0.9375rem; letter-spacing: 0px;">sales platform where consumers can purchase NFTs for their avatars or physical items from within the Metaverse. Paco Rabanne, the symbol of the 1960s Space Age, participated in the Decentraland Metaverse Fashion Week with a virtual store in collaboration with Selfridges, which was followed by the launch of a collection of 12 NFTs, 12 &quot;non-wearable clothes&quot; made from the Victor Vasarely Foundation, starting with the historic archival items created in 1966 with innovative materials. The initiative of Phi- lipp Plein in the Metaverse Fashion Week follows an extensive project of the brand in virtual reality that began, at the real estate level, right on Decentraland, where he bought an exclusive neighborhood of the metaverse for 1.4 million dollars. large 65 lots. The space was used for the construction of Plein Plaza. The first establishment in the building is the Mona-Museum of Nft Arts, founded by the designer himself, designed as an open forum for the development of digital art, while still in the NFT area, the company has launched a token drop , the Lil monster $ gang, producing the first art collection. The project brought in over 4,000 sales and more than 300 claimed 3D Monsters in one week. One of the first events to establish a</span> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; letter-spacing: 0px;">category dedicated to the art of digital creations was the British Fashion Council, which announced a new category as part of the 2021 Fashion Awards, the first ever Fashion Award for Metaverse Design exclusively with Roblox and its first winner, cSapphire. This new award recognizes a digital designer capable of “push the boundaries”. The five digital fashion creators of the Roblox community have been selected for the award by the developers and creators of Roblox. Alessandro Michele, Creative Director of Gucci, made an appearance as an avatar to present the award in the experience of the Fashion Awards on Roblox. Different is the experience of Marni, who entered the Metaverse with WearWeAre. During the S / S 2022 fashion show, the creative director Francesco Risso involved the guests by distributing pieces of hand-painted recycled fabric to each, while the models wore the garments from the new collection. The show was actually a teaser for project 3.0: a digitized version of the collection, where all those present became part of the new virtual world of Marni, entitled WearWeAre, launched on April 14th. In WearWeAre it is possible to view selected pieces from the S / S 2022 collection worn by digital avatars of those who attended the show in person, first scanned in 3D and then digitally transposed. The evolutionary speed and the pervasiveness of the technologies present in our daily life lead us to imagine what our world will be like in the near future. As if we could ideally move the calendar forward by only a few weeks or months, the Metaverse crystallizes it and makes our every desire possible in terms of fashion, art, technology, gaming, sociality. But is the future all online? Are we ready to live in a Matrix world with the comforts of the real world? The question is still open, for now we enjoy playing and collecting, without thinking too much about it.</span></p></div></div></div></div></div>

Metauniverse: fashion and the metaverse

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