Phoebe Philo’s launched her new label, Frank Ocean posted a snippet on Instagram and BTC is pumping once more. For the first time in years, we find ourselves quietly confident we really are going to make it.
Yet, despite the optimism in the air, there’s no denying that the web3 world looks fundamentally different than how it did two years ago.
So what’s changed? Led by the likes of Zora and Crowdmuse, a new web3 fashion culture is quietly emerging. Emphasising culture as opposed to hype and egregious pricing, web3 fashion culture is starting to look a lot more like its IRL counterpart, but with a democratic twist.
To find out more, we caught up with Isaac Ng who’s building product at Zora to lift the lid on what’s next for fashion in web3.
I want to start off with the shift in the function of NFTs. Across the board, we’re witnessing a shift away from NFTs as investments into NFTs that don’t have any monetary value but act as badges of affinity or appreciation. What do you think that represents to the holders? How does it make them feel?
I think NFTs are a representation of your taste. When you go to someone’s Spotify playlist, it tells you a lot about that person. The objects represent who they are as a person. Minting NFTs tells you a lot about a person in the same way. If you have a bunch of open editions or NFTs that *feel* a certain way, then that is a good representation of who that person is.
It’s the same as physical luxury. You’ve got the new money people who are into APs or old money people who are into Jaeger Le-Coultres. It says a lot about you.
I like A-Cold-Wall for example because I think Samuel Ross is a brilliant designer - he’s mentored by Virgil Abloh. With crypto, I think it’s very much the same [type of thinking] - aligning yourself with certain projects is the same as aligning yourself with certain brands. It's because you want to represent yourself publicly in a certain way.
A-Cold-Wall SS’23 Campaign
There’s a lot of chatter around multiplayer collaboration and democratisation creation in web3. Yet, there’s a tension with fashion which is often based on the creative direction of a single visionary. How do you see that tension play out? How do we overcome the cacophony of public opinion resulting on something that’s mediocre?
Multiplayer collaboration in theory sounds like a great idea, but once you have multiple conflicting opinions, you might come away with something mediocre because you’re trying to appease everyone. If you look at some of the most influential designers, it’s always been a very top-down approach. I think that’s because it’s art. These people are influential because they have conviction. They don’t take shit from anyone. Fashion isn’t like building a tech product when you get user feedback. Fashion’s very much about creating something that users don’t even know they want yet. Multiplayer creation and collaboration sounds great in theory but you need to be very cognisant around the fine line between being very inclusive of opinions, and just having a convoluted symposium of feedback. You can’t midwit it.
The public mainstream perception of brands is very in the BAYC “searing laser eyes” vibe. How can we shift that? Are the big brands friends or foes?
I think that the Aura Consortium blockchain is a really good sign. These brands want to come into this space. The reason why I’m bullish about them is because these brands are culture-makers. They’ve been amplifying culture for years. They also understand collectibles, and what it means to translate culture along different mediums. That’s through the fashion shows, their products, the story that they tell. They’ve got what it takes to change the perception of consumer crypto. A lot of people tell us that we need indie brands but I feel like that we should think of [established brands] as friends and as allies to amplify vision.
What do you think it is about Zora that makes it feel comfortable for people coming from an aesthetics background?
It’s funny - when I met my manager, we went to Acne Studios. We could talk about Bottega, we could go shopping together. I think it’s because Zora embraces culture in a way that no other project does in the space and elevates individual culture.
web3 talks a lot about fashion being inclusive - but that contrasts against luxury which is about aspiration. What do you think about this?
I don’t think luxury should be fully accessible because there’s a reason why people strive towards it. Let’s take cars for example. You get a Porsche 911 because you’ve worked your entire life towards it. I think luxury is not just a culture, but it also acts as motivation. Most people strive towards the upper echelon of society - maybe that’s a broken view of the world but there’s beauty in that too. Vintage luxury for example, feels like art, and there’s beauty in seeking it. My hope for web3 and luxury is that brands have a strong view of what culture should look like. They shouldn’t sell themselves out by trying to appeal to everyone.
Porsche x Aime Leon Dore 911 964
Your house is on fire and you can only keep three things from your closet. What are they?
A simple Uniqlo U tee. I like the predictability of it.
Uniqlo U Color Block Tee
A pair of utility pants because they’re useful and look good (these are from Undercover by Jun Takahashi).
Undercover by Jun Takahashi Utility Pants
A pair of shoes. Salomon XT-60s. They’re as good for trekking through the forest as much as for walking on the pavement.
Salomon XT-60 Sneakers
What’s underrated or overrated?
Korean high fashion like Ader Error. I think it’s because Japanese fashion still has a very strong chokehold in East Asia so when people think about Asian fashion, it’s very much Japanese fashion that comes to mind first.
The retail design and experience is incredible. If you go to this part of Seoul called Seongsudong - the stores there tell you a lot about where the state of mind is for fashion in Korea. They’re willing to do brands that other brands in other cities aren’t willing to do.
What’s something you’re into right now completely unrelated to fashion?
Running. There’s a lot of technicality behind running. The gear that you wear, the GPS watch, the shoes. Like most recently - I think there was this pair of Adidas; a one-time use pair of shoes that was designed to only last the length of one marathon because it was so light and thin.
Edmond Lau
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