The weather is warming, and all the more reason to shed your IRL layers for some virtual style. Alterrage creates digital, augmented, and physical pieces co-created and refined through digital craftsmanship.

ALTERRAGE Official Discord Stats

We have 230 ALTER[fans] [+5] in our community, with 10 ALTER[core] leaders, and 11 ALTER[DAO] members. Welcome to our new members!

WEEK 3 | April 2022 | Current ALTER[news]

ALTERRAGE is creating their own NFT Marketplace

Alterrage will be revealing their own custom marketplace on the Alterrage website, to sell their collections directly to collectors and digital fashion lovers.

This namesake marketplace will allow for a higher profit share to be returned to all parties involved in the creation of each piece. Unique NFT properties and functionalities soon to be unveiled.

Edition 1.1 | LTL The First “Larger Than Life” Collection by ALTERRAGE

Waiting patiently for the most opportune time and place, Alterrage will be presenting the first full edition of the FUTR E*SHCK season, merging digital fashion design with a real world cause.

In the creative and development process, Alterrage begins digitally FIRST, in order to identify demand before moving to the sale of a physical fashion piece.

“Larger than Life” (LTL), is first of three releases of the FUTR E*SHCK season, 100% virtual, and explores the imagination of three talented designers and one avatar, moving past the restrictions of physical space.

KALAU Writes | Digital Fashion 101

Lauren Kacher (KALAU) is a Web3 fashion pioneer, digital fashion consultant, and the founder and creative director of the first DAO-led fashion label, Alterrage.

Since 2012, Lauren has worked in the luxury fashion industry in New York, London, and Paris. Her career includes luxury design, creative direction, project management, and technical product development.

Not long into her career Lauren noticed several gaps and market opportunities for digitalisation, sustainability, and co-creation in the fashion industry. With these insights she founded Alterrage to disrupt the status quo through a set of core fundamentals; empowerment through identity, disruption of unsustainable processes, and building the new golden standard using Web 3.0 technology.

In addition to her role at Alterrage, Lauren / KALAU consults with traditional fashion labels and Web3 projects to bridge the gap between physical and digital fashion . She leads weekly community calls, twitter spaces, workshops, and conference keynotes around digital fashion.

Starting this week, KALAU begins the series, “Digital Fashion 101”, to answer fundamental questions about the emerging digital fashion industry and how we will create our identity across digital, augmented, and physical spaces.

UPCOMING ALTER[events]

ALTER[AMA] Community Call : ALTER[DAO] Onboarding

• WHEN | Wednesday April 27 at 17hr UTC

• WHERE | https://discord.gg/bpRjD4QV?event=967942056477610125

Join the weekly community call to learn more about ALTER[DAO] and how you can get involved.

ALTER[spaces] #11 — Metaverse Avatars & Digital Fashion

• WHEN | Thursday April 28 at 19hr UTC

• WHERE | https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1eaKbNpXXRRKX?s=20

Kalau and Meta Jack are back again this week for more on IRL, AR, and metaverse fashion and Alterrage news. Be sure to join if you want to learn about the latest in the industry!

Join Alterrage On Our Socials -

DSCRD | https://discord.gg/bpCH7bDEQB

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WEB | https://www.alterrage.com/

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TWTTR | https://twitter.com/alterragelabel

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ALTER[gram] | https://www.instagram.com/alterrageofficial/

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LNKN | https://www.linkedin.com/company/alterrage/

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American fashion designer and entrepreneur with a specialisation in circular and digital fashion, in Paris, London, and New York. Previous work experience at Saint Laurent, Loewe and other Parisian luxury design houses.

Motivated by the substantial role fashion plays in the overconsumption and destruction of planetary resources, she sees digital fashion as a key solution to this issue. From AR filters to immersive digital worlds, this new medium can allow for true identity exploration.

KALAU is the founder of Alterrage, a phygital fashion brand bridging the digital realm with physical reality. Creating the future of phygital.

Quick Access to Video Tutorial here

So let’s say you still don’t have an Oculus, you don’t have your own “ready player me” avatar, or you never imagined yourself to be the “gamer type”.

Digital fashion can still work for you, and you can wear it now.

Here at Alterrage, we are all about the “PHYGITAL”, meaning we optimise our style based on the constraints of our three proposed worlds :

World 1 = the IRL : meaning “in real life”; the real world where comfort is king, and because of industry overproduction, the environment has been pushed past its planetary boundaries.

Even if a pandemic has distinctly accelerated our digital interaction, we still have physical bodies. And if you don’t take care of that one, it is likely your digital alias will stop showing up as well.

World 2 = the ORL : “on real life”; here we are talking about AR specifically. This augmented, digital layer placed on top of our real world provides exciting possibilities and will reach more than those participating in the metaverse (let’s face it, gaming isn’t for everyone).

World 3 = the LTL : “larger than life”; This is what the metaverse should be built for. Why would you want a “digital twin” of your boring as hell fleece sweatshirt when you can wear something on fire, molten liquid, or shoes as tall as a skyscraper?

Digital-only is not our main focus at Alterrage, but we realise the importance of the metaverse, and leverage co-creation to create digital-only capsules alongside our PHYGITAL collections (IRL + ORL).

[Learn more how Alterrage leverages these three worlds with the METARALITY formula, the first and only, created by Alterrage].

As we wait for the metaverse to be built (or all of them, depending on your opinion), for Web 3.0 to develop, and for the general community to grasp an understanding of these concepts, we still have an opportunity that anyone who can take a photo on their smart phone can understand.

That opportunity is AR (augmented reality) Filters. They are instantly interactive, importable into any digital meeting, and a huge hit even hanging out with friends in IRL.

Every other Sunday on the Alterrage Official discord [join here], Alterrage hosts “BYOF” (bring your own filter) parties, the world’s first soirée to merge AR filters, personal style, and a good time with ALTER[friends].

Below we will show you how to add these filters with existing tech and join our event for POAP rewards, insider sneak peeks, and an opportunity to actually wear digital fashion, instead of just talking about it.

FILTER TUTORIAL BELOW to get started NOW :

SNAPCHAT

For now, we use Lens Studio by Snapchat to create our filters.

Though these filters cannot yet be owned by smart contracts or be monetised by the creator, the technological capabilities currently outsmart that of Spark AR (created by Instagram) and can be imported across several different video meet up platforms.

Filters on Instagram cannot currently integrate with any video conferencing software.

The Three Steps for All Platforms :

1. Find a Filter on Lens List (make sure to choose snapchat, not spark) or Lens by Snapchat.

2. Download SnapCamera (desktop / laptop only).

3. Import selected filter according to platform.

The process is quite straightforward for each platform, though sometimes may have technical glitches if the correct video output is not selected.

Make sure these settings are as follows on Snapcamera :

DISCORD

The current platform for Alterrage BYOF events

Watch the video tutorial here.

After recently speaking with the customer help service for discord, even they didn’t know you can use AR filters on their platform.

1. Open Snap Camera (you can set this up in your computer settings so it opens automatically when turning on your computer). The green light on your computer will be illuminated when Snap Camera is activated.

2. Select your filter either by searching in the library or from one you have already saved.

3. If you are using an Alterrage NFT AR Filter, copy the full link of the unlocked snapchat code [found on Opensea] and paste into the search bar of Snap Camera

4. This should then show up overlaid onto your video. If it does not appear, that means the filter will not work.

5. Open up the discord app and start a video call or enter a voice channel. Turn on your camera, and select Snap Camera. If the Snap Camera option does not show up, see troubleshooting at the end of the article or how I did it on the video tutorial.

GOOGLE MEETS

1. Open Snap Camera (you can set this up in your computer settings so it opens automatically when turning on your computer). The green light on your computer will be illuminated when Snap Camera is activated.

2. Create or attend the google meets event through your Google calendar.

3. The video option should now show up, asking if you are ready to join the meeting.

4. If the filter isn’t showing up, go to the “check your audio and video” settings to verify that the source of the video is set to Snap Camera.

ZOOM

1. Open Snap Camera (you can set this up in your computer settings so it opens automatically when turning on your computer). The green light on your computer will be illuminated when Snap Camera is activated.

2. Start a meeting from the zoom app or join a link of a previously create meeting.

3. The video option now should show up on the video if you are in the meeting.

4. If not, to video settings and make sure Snap Camera is selected.

LOOM

1. Open Snap Camera (you can set this up in your computer settings so it opens automatically when turning on your computer). The green light on your computer will be illuminated when Snap Camera is activated.

2. Log into your loom account, and make sure Snap Camera is selected.

TROUBLESHOOTING :

If you are still having problems with a program on your desktop or laptop, try the following :

1. Restart your computer.

2. Open Snap Camera before opening the video application.

3. Try opening discord in a chrome or safari browser instead of the application. Sometimes there is a problem with the privacy settings in the app alone, so by opening in a browser it can align with the open permissions already set up on your computer, assuming you have successfully used zoom or google meets before.

4. Try Chrome if Safari isn’t working (or vice versa).

5. Reconfigure your privacy settings for video on your computer.

6. If this still isn’t working, contact Snapchat or the customer service according to the brand of your computer.

The reality is, few people know that you can even do this, but by following these simple steps you can show off your favourite fashion filters instantly.

Don’t have anything to wear to BYOF? Buy the first AR NFT earrings by Alterrage here.

Authenticity. Loyalty. Collaboration.

Decentralised. Technical. Governance. Capital. (see more on the Digitalax POV here)

Seven different words defining “web 3”, separately significant, but unstoppable as a whole.

We recently had the opportunity to meet our URL partners and frans (yes, that means friends) in IRL at the DCentralCon Event in Miami, the first of its kind. Not only did Alterrage present, as an internationally united team, the world’s first truly Phygital fashion collection; we also affirmed how important our mission truly is for the evolution and betterment of the fashion industry.

ALTERRAGE x Angarse [ORL Filter]

As a traditionally trained fashion designer, this new developing world is all foreign territory. Shorthand like WAGMI (or WAGMA if you don’t know what you are talking about), seed phrases for securing a new value of currency, and exchanging confusing conversations about “staking” (not something done in a garden), are all entirely new, terrifying and yet exhilarating concepts.

So why do we as fashion professionals need to learn something so completely out of our domain to advance an age old industry, stitched deep in its ways? It comes down to those seven key words.

I cannot yet explain to you the complex inner workings of decentralized finance or when crypto will be at all all high one day and the next the dirt beneath the floor. But I can tell you that what values accompany the ecosystem of web 3 will soon change our exclusive and closed world.

This is because this new web 3 system is not built on control, power and gain. Your value is derived from the effort you bring within a community, united around a powerful shared mission. We must learn to work together to build with open communication and create only what is beneficial, needed, and relevant.

I don’t know if you’ve taken a look at the current state of the world, but it’s looking pretty fucking dim. How much longer can the planet handle the greed from industry corporations that hide behind plant leather marketing scams, conceal their designers and production teams in literal and metaphorical closets, and reward only those they know, instead of those who work the hardest.

In Miami, I saw a lot of “web 2” projects disguised with the hyped name of “web 3”. As I familiarise myself with the values of this somewhat utopian alter-dimension, the easier it becomes to spot genuine interest or just a passerby looking to pick up on the next quick buck.

I was disappointed by many of the new digital fashion movers, who are still led by archaic ways of a win sum lose some game. They still try to hold all power and attempt to sell “fame” to their “consumers” for their own gain and profit.

Here at Alterrage we are doing things differently. We aren’t pretending we know everything, we don’t have it all figured out, and we haven’t done these things before. But what I can promise you is that we will be honest, authentic, and try to create inspiring pieces that benefit the world, each other, and our industry.

Join us and be a part of our mission; to use URL and Phygital fashion to create IRL transformation.

<> See some snapshots below from the Miami event, and come join us next time in IRL! Stella Achenbach + Lauren / KALAU Martin from ArtSect dCesh at the Alterrage x Digitalax Stand Stella Achenbach working hard Can barely believe it's vegan The Twins Osumicat See our links below and more exciting news coming soon. *DISCORD NOW OPEN FOR ACCESS* : https://discord.gg/bpCH7bDEQB — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Website: https://www.alterrage.com/ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Clubhouse: https://www.clubhouse.com/club/the-future-of-phygital — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Twitter: https://twitter.com/alterragelabel — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alterrageofficial/ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alterrage/ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — - Who the f*** is KALAU? American fashion designer and entrepreneur with a specialisation in circular and digital fashion, in Paris, London, and New York. Previous work experience at Saint Laurent, Loewe and other Parisian luxury design houses. Motivated by the substantial role fashion plays in the overconsumption and destruction of planetary resources, she sees digital fashion as a key solution to this issue. From AR filters to immersive digital worlds, this new medium can allow for true identity exploration. KALAU is the founder of Alterrage, a phygital fashion brand bridging the digital realm with physical reality. Creating the future of phygital.

From the ashes they will rise, from the dust they will create, and from the dirt they will form beauty. — KALAU

The birth of Alterrage was conceived as a reaction to the current “status quo” of the fashion industry. Since the age of 10, I aspired to the likes of Alexander McQueen (so overused), Hussein Chalayan (the table dress), and Rick Owens (the god of 90s goth); to gain access to a private and elite crowd that I believed would also bring me the same design stardom as my idols.

After paying my “fashion dues” after 12 unpaid internships, 3 different countries of residence (NYC, London, France), and hours of blood (from those damn pins and needles), sweat, and tears, I finally had reached mecca : Paris, France. The studio marbled halls were breathtaking, the fabrics exquisite, and the sample sales made my heart ache with lust. But only upon reaching my “final” destination, did I have my realisation.

Is this it?

After all the residual glitter dusted the floor, I felt empty. There was no collaboration, no empathy, no true creativity in the work I was doing. After working in the top luxury houses in Paris, I didn’t feel like I was getting any closer to finding where I belonged.

I’ve always loved the underdog character in films. But it didn’t prepare me for what came next.

From what seemed to be from a science fiction film, in 2019 Covid came and shut the whole world down. I lost my luxurious role in my tall tower and reinvented myself as a freelance accessories designer. But something had changed while everyone was inside baking bread and stocking up on the last rolls of toilet paper. I began listening to myself instead, of following and watching everyone else around me.

In early 2020, I came across a conference hosted by Anina.net , which brought together a myriad of digital and fashion creatives in blockchain, virtual avatar dressing, and 3D fit. This discovery of digital fashion was the spark that lit the flame for Alterrage, a PHYGITAL fashion label founded on circular principles, eco-activism, collaboration, and imagination.

With Alterrage I have rediscovered my passion for creation and leading an industry-wide revolution. It is time to tear down these walls that constrain us and train us to continue with the status quo, a broken construct that those in power have created to keep division from the ones at the “top” from those “beneath” them.

I am so excited to share what I have been building for the past year and a half with you, and grow Alterrage from a single designer’s vision to a mission-driven collective affinity. I am just one designer, and I know together that we can be so much more. We can create the industry and a future that WE WANT TO LIVE AND WORK IN.

See our links below and more exciting news coming soon.

*DISCORD NOW OPEN FOR ACCESS* : https://discord.gg/bpCH7bDEQB — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Website: https://www.alterrage.com/ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Clubhouse: https://www.clubhouse.com/club/the-future-of-phygital — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Twitter: https://twitter.com/alterragelabel — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alterrageofficial/ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/alterrage/ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -

Who the f*** is KALAU?

American fashion designer and entrepreneur with a specialisation in circular and digital fashion, in Paris, London, and New York. Previous work experience at Saint Laurent, Loewe and other Parisian luxury design houses.

Motivated by the substantial role fashion plays in the overconsumption and destruction of planetary resources, she sees digital fashion as a key solution to this issue. From AR filters to immersive digital worlds, this new medium can allow for true identity exploration.

KALAU is the founder of Alterrage, a phygital fashion brand bridging the digital realm with physical reality. Creating the future of phygital.