# Ye v. LVMH: Live from the Metaverse By [Ryan Imbriale](https://paragraph.com/@ryan-imbriale) · 2022-10-18 --- The Luxury Goods Rivalry Pushing Digital Asset Boundaries --------------------------------------------------------- To no ones surprise, Kanye West, or Ye, has been making media headlines again. According to [Complex](https://www.complex.com/), in a recent interview with French outlet [Clique TV](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDdOi-gBYfg), Ye spoke about how he felt after [Virgil Abloh](https://www.complex.com/tag/virgil-abloh) was appointed artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s men’s branch. In the interview, Kanye admits that Abloh’s appointment made him feel “a lot of pain and jealousy.” “No one knows I’d been offered the deal by Bernard Arnault,” Ye said at the 12:35 mark of the interview. “No one knows the deal was pulled.” Kanye mentioned that Bernard’s son, Alexandre, told him that the co-founder of LVMH “never goes back on his word.”  “Three months after that, they dropped the deal,” West shared.  What does this have to do with web3 you ask? We’re getting there. In April, 2022, Bernard Arnault’s son, Alexandre, created a buzz by changing his Twitter and Instagram profile pictures to a [Cryptopunk](https://opensea.io/collection/cryptopunks). Alexandre’s Punk 3167, was purchased for 160 ETH (around $416,400). LVMH confirmed Alexandre Arnault’s profile picture change was legitimate, coming just a few days after his father expressed caution regarding the metaverse “bubble” Arnault’s embrace of NFTs proves a seismic shift in a new era of luxury led by a digital generation. Alexandre, the third of five children of Bernard Arnault, was previously CEO of LVMH-owned [Rimowa](https://www.rimowa.com/us/en/home). At Rimowa, he created a viral marketing strategy based solely on artistic collaborations. He has since moved on to head up product and communications at [Tiffany & Co.](https://www.tiffany.com/) where one of his first moves was to reimagine, refresh, and modernize the once beloved boomer brand. Coming off a successful campaign with Jay-Z and Beyonce, Tiffany’s launched it’s first calculated effort into web3: a collection of 250 diamond-encrusted pendants exclusively available for CryptoPunk owners to purchase. With each pendant priced at $50,000, estimates report that the campaign netted over $12 million. It is considered one of the most successful NFT launches to date. With tensions mounting between Ye and LVMH, the likelihood of their rivalry spilling over into web3 via the inevitable merge of physical and digital assets is presumable. We can already see Ye lining up his pieces in a calculated manner. His acquisition of [Parler](https://parler.com/) and expansion of Donda into retail, [Donda](https://donda.org/) Academies, and Donda Doves, is laying a foundation for what can be activated in support of a successful web3 strategy. Furthermore, Ye has already filed 17 patent applications signaling a potential entrance into web3. He was also recently sited wearing a Satoshi Nakamato hat after JPMorgan Chase, the biggest U.S. bank by assets, financially censored and debanked him for statements made in recent interviews. We all know Kanye is no stranger to competition and often rises to the occasion when presented with one. In 2007, in a historic hip-hop moment, he had a clash with 50 Cent where each artist’s album was released on the same day. 50 bet his entire career that his album Curtis would outsell Kanye’s album Graduation. This was a clear marketing opportunity but on a symbolic level, it seemed to indicate a shift in the cultural aesthetic with Kanye taking the torch.  As Ye reinforces his ability to expand, and speak, and bank freely, Arnault is likely to amplify his presence in web3. Coming off such a successful collab with Punks, the two will likely collide at some point with heightened stakes. When the moment presents itself, these two giants will meet in the Metaverse. I know Kanye is an acquired taste these days, but I’m looking forward to what these new rivalries and fire bring out of him. As always, we can count on something profound, wild, innovative, and different. If Ye’s impact on digital assets is a fraction of the innovation he pushed to transition us into a new musical landscape, it will have a resonating impact on our industry and the world. --- *Originally published on [Ryan Imbriale](https://paragraph.com/@ryan-imbriale/ye-v-lvmh-live-from-the-metaverse)*