Let’s Get Physical
If a virtual #PoseWithKarl selfie in augmented reality is so two-drops-ago, the latest Karl Lagerfeld NFTs bring something new to the table — a real-life perk.
Created in collaboration with London-based street artist
Endless, who signed a mural of the late designer at Pitti Uomo in 2019, the fourth edition of the digital figurines will launch at 4 p.m. CET this Friday on digital fashion marketplace The Dematerialized.
Two versions of the NFT have been made, both featuring the artist’s graffiti — in tones of blue or pink — scrawled all over the digital avatar’s outfit.
The more exclusive “KL7xEndless” version, sold at
777 euros and available to only seven consumers (the number seven was the late couturier’s lucky number), will turn into an invitation to a real-life cocktail event featuring a performance by the artist. Slated for June 2022, it will take place at the fashion brand’s headquarters in the tony 7th arrondissement.
Describing the hybrid experience as an exciting development in the brand’s journey into the digital world,
Karl Lagerfeld chief executive officer Pier Paolo Righi stated that the brand “continued to break new ground and create incredible experiences for our consumers,” true to a designer who “was always fully immersed in the cultural relevance of the here-and-now.”
It was an attitude that “allowed him to transcend generations as an iconic creative force,” added the artist, who called Lagerfeld a “lifelong innovator” whose footsteps they hoped to follow to make the metaverse “a creative world.”
A more accessible version of the figurine, titled KLxEndless, will be priced at 100 euros in a run of 500. It will grant access to exclusive news bites and behindthe-scenes material as well as live highlights of the artist’s performance.
The Dematerialized’s co-CEO Karina Grant noted that this latest drop reflected an evolution that added unique access, experience and utility to a fashion NFT. “We can’t wait to see where the Karl x Endless collectibles end up around the globe and to see the lucky collectors who make it to Paris,” she said.
— LILY TEMPLETON