How Middle Eastern Brands Are Pioneering NFT Fashion In The Region
From digital abayas to virtual power suits, four visionaries are changing the future of Arab fashion
Hail 2022 as the year of the NFT explosion in fashion. From legacy labels such as Burberry to supermodels like Karlie Kloss – it seems like everyone wants to have a piece of the Web3 pie. It’s no surprise that Arab fashion brands are following suit, ushering in a new era of exciting digital fashion in the region.
NFTs are rare, irreplicable digital assets that users can purchase from fashion brands, gaining momentum among a generation that’s lived most of their lives online: the Gen Z. Perhaps most comfortable with the way their virtual and real lives overlap, and equally aware that expensive things are best flaunted online to their social media followers – Gen Z is making fashion NFTs the new-age status symbols.
But beyond that, NFTs are changing the landscape of what shopping looks like – transforming consumer engagement, creating communities and empowering shoppers. Here, Bazaar Arabia shares the brands to watch out for in the Region’s flourishing NFT space…
Ilja Visser
Ilja Visser’s entry in the NFT scene was a revolutionary one. The designer launched the world’s first couture Abaya NFT Collection this March called Sculptural Comfort, which features 50 NFTs according to her website. Visser, who has had her pieces donned by the likes of Kourtney Kardashian and Lady Gaga, designed her NFTs based on five themes – Signature, Dutch, Middle-East, Space and Elements of Nature.
The designer also shared her inspiration for the collection on her NFT site, stating that she considers “bringing both physical and metaphysical aspects together in a female, nonchalant undertone, with the results of this ‘urban cool’ abaya collection, to bring my creativity to a higher level.” Visser’s collection is a triumphant attempt at empowering her consumers – apart from putting Abaya fashion on the NFT map, she aims to also educate young designers in the Middle East, cultivating a community via her new endeavour.
The Modist
Ghizlan Guenez and Hajar Ouhsine’s Dubai-based modest fashion startup made its comeback to the online retail space with a bang by launching an NFT collection. In an exclusive interview with Bazaar Arabia, the co-founders shared that the collection would be called Queen Mode and would offer 10,000 NFTs designed by artist Ale Michel. Purchasing from Queen Mode will also reward The Modist’s buyers for their loyalty, in addition to receiving a share of profit from collective sales on the NFT.
Consumers purchasing The Modist’s NFTs have the option of customizing their characters (called Queens), who have unique personalities and looks. “The collection sits under the mission of empowerment of choice, as a woman, whatever your choice is, exercising it is what makes you feel powerful,” says Ghizlan. Staying true to the theme of their collection, The Modist looks at this launch as a way to empower women to engage with the Web3 community, creating spaces for them to thrive in the industry in the future.
Rami Kadi
Renowned Lebanese fashion couture designer Rami Kadi launched his first NFT collection, “Lucid Algorithms” this March. Kadi, whose statement gowns have been worn by stars like Kendall Jenner and Myriam Fares, included 120 NFTs that were available for sale out of the UAE, according to The National. In his interview with the newspaper, Kadi shared his beliefs about the evolving digital landscape: “NFTs will change history, they are not just for art and fashion, everything is logged into the ‘cloud’. It is like a closed contract, with owners having access to the physical and the virtual. It can never be reproduced – I am the creator and you are the owner,” he said.
Owning a Rami Kadi NFT has its own perks, too. Its buyers will be allowed to customize a couture piece at Kadi’s studio that’s inspired by their NFT, dress their avatars in 2D or 3D, or be invited to all of Kadi’s events, online or in-person – meshing together both the virtual and physical shopping experience he offers.
Briar Prestidge
In May 2022, label Briar Prestidge debuted their virtual suit collection for women in Metaverse Fashion Week, according to ImagesRetailME. In her interview with the site, designer Briar Prestidge stated that she had spent the last few years educating herself on all things AR, VR and XR.
An entrepreneur and marketer herself, Briar understands the importance of jumping aboard the Web3 ship fast enough. “Our younger generation has grown up as digital natives, their brains will be wired differently, so brands need to consider how we will cater to them in the future. For many teens these days, how they appear online on social media can sometimes mean even more to them than real life,” she said in her interview. Currently, Briar has dropped a number of Metasuits in signature colors – fire red, cobalt blue, grey and maroon – that are available on Decentraland.
Lead images courtesy Ilja Visser