Philipp Plein has optimistic plans for the metaverse, so much so that the revamped Plein Sport line is being dubbed the first “metaverse-native” fashion line.
Guests at the Thursday night show couldn’t have expected that a humanoid robot named Romeo 1.0 would be the star of the night, with no clothes or accessories in sight. Inside a venue with video walls, Romeo explained, “The metaverse doesn’t necessarily refer to a specific type of technology, but to an evolving interaction we have with virtual space as we move to integrate it with the real thing.”
Hot on the heels of its $1.4 million acquisition of Plein Plaza, a 176,528-square-foot parcel of land in the Decentraland metaverse, Plein is building one of three skyscrapers to house MoNA, or NFT Museum of Art, where artists will be invited. digital. to showcase your creative output.
On the fashion side, the brand is launching a range of 10 sneaker styles to see now and buy now, each with an NFT counterpart. The latter can be treasured as a work of art or “burned” (metaverse slang for trading) into a digital wearable device to equip the avatars that populate Decentraland.
The humanoid robot Romeo 1.0 at the Plein Sport fair.
Getty Images for Plein Sport
Plein said they sold 11 slippers in an hour through an auction powered by auction house NFT Portion, which also partners with Plein on art auctions.
On March 3, the company will hold an auction to sell NFT art, including Lil Monsters Plein, which was featured in its mainline men’s show last month.
The shoes reflect Plein’s deep creativity and the brand’s focus on sportswear. They feature chunky soles with a tiger head encapsulated in them. The full collection was shared via catalog images and includes activewear staples including leopard-print running sets, shimmery puffers and performance tracksuits.
When asked about the possibility of turning Plein Sport into an NFT-only fashion line, the designer said that his “job is to sell fashion, I’m not speculating on selling NFT, but we want to add value in the metaverse. I think this is the future of e-commerce, of the Internet, and it gives you an enhanced shopping experience.”
He hinted that Romeo might go on a road trip across Europe with a pop-up truck throughout 2022.
Source: wwd.com