A year ago, most people assumed the non-fungible token was a mushroom-based alternative to Silicon Valley, but now NFTs have moved from Reddit and Discord discussions to mainstream pop culture. doing. The word is critical for Nicola Formichetti, a creative mind collaborating with the world’s biggest pop stars like Lady Gaga, Lina Sawayama, Kim Petras, and his brands in the most niche fashion, even before he hits his masses. , was a world he was eagerly embracing. “I have always been obsessed with his game ideas of cyberspace, futurism, computers. . Now, industry-ready or not, he’s poised to bring the notoriously tech-unfriendly world of fashion to his Web3.

The fusion of fashion and technology has always come naturally to Formichetti, even if his peers didn’t understand his intentions. “When I was… [the artistic director] Mugler I started using Twitter to promote my show and Instagramming stuff. People used to think I was crazy, but now it’s normal,” he recalls. Whether it’s at the helm of his house of Parisian fashion or his own label, Nicopanda, Formichetti has always championed democratizing his work and drawing followers into his world. When Formichetti began diving into digital art in early 2020, he recognized the same similarities. He had just moved to Los Angeles and was burnt out by splitting his time between New York, Italy and Japan and juggling jobs at three different companies. Then the pandemic hit and he was stuck at home, still working on projects, and suddenly he had more time on his hands than ever before. “I went to Google and typed ‘digital fashion’ and ‘what is blockchain?’ “I started looking for artists I could collaborate with. I really felt inspired and thought it could be a game changer.”

Moving from concept research to creating your own concept seemed like a logical next step, so Formichetti teamed up with Brazilian drag performer Pabllo Vittar and 3D artist Alejandro Delgado as his first project. We started working on a series of four NFTs. Released to coincide with Vitter’s latest album, the image features the artist wearing a fantastical costume from head to toe in the middle of a surreal landscape where rolling waves of water and sand surround her. I’m here. They are immediately recognizable examples of Formichetti’s futuristic, avant-garde aesthetic. But digital avatars, including his own created with Georgian artist Gigi Valia, may be Formichetti’s most ambitious digital work. The 3D model required a small array of cameras to capture every inch of Formichetti’s body and transform the images into his NFTs. The first titled “ED3N_001” features flowers exploding from his torso, while the second “SELFLOVE” sees Formichetti embracing himself as an act of unconditional acceptance.Both inclusive Released in his May with a focus on sex and diversity.

Working with queer artists has always been part of the plan, an extension of Formichetti’s ethos that has shaped him since the early days of fashion. “I’ve always wanted to champion the underdog. From the beginning of my career I supported young designers that people didn’t know about, and it’s still the same,” says Formichetti. “The great thing about Web3 is that everything is co-created. But is the fashion industry ready to enter this new nebulous territory? Formichetti is optimistic. “I talk a lot about futurism, but I’m a very nostalgic person. There’s a beautiful saying that you have to look back to move forward. And that’s the key. You have to bring it into the world, and that mix is ​​going to make it great, right?”

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