Egonlab Takes First Steps With Crocs — On the Runway and With NFTs – WWD

BEST DIGITAL POTS NOW: Choosing between physical and digital is a thing of the past – at least as far as Kévin Nompeix and Florentin Glémarec’s EgonLab are concerned.

The Paris label, which won the 2021 Pierre Bergé award at the ANDAM Fashion Awards, is doubling down on debuts with their first scheduled runway show and the first fashion season of the NFT, both with the Crocs footwear brand.

In addition to the physical pairs adorned with Swarovski crystals that will complete the look of the runway, five NFTs have been made, one for each design that will be featured on the show.

“We couldn’t be more excited about Crocs’ first point in reverse from an NFT perspective with Egonlab, with whom we share a passion for innovation and creativity,” said Crocs Senior VP of Marketing, Heidi Cooley.

The footwear brand has previously entered the digital environment through a partnership with Minecraft, a Bitmoji avatar, and the NBA 2k video game series.

Egonlab x Crocs NFTs will be auctioned on the OpenSea peer-to-peer digital marketplace, at 5:30 p.m. CET when its first scheduled demonstration begins.

At the end of the auction, the lucky winners will also receive a matching physical pair of their shoes digitally, sealed in a glass case emblazoned with the words “Ceci n’est pas une Crocs” ” (or “this is not crocs”) as an homage to surrealist artist René Magritte.

While these aren’t meant to be worn, Nompeix suggests that pairing the NFT with limited-edition physical items will be part of the brand’s plans going forward.

Proceeds from the auction will be donated to charities that facilitate access to technology for the underserved. “It is important for us to support [these initiatives] because of [the digital world] is the future for society,” said Nompeix.

At the same time, the Egonlab website, which currently has a locked door, will open to reveal what the designer couple describes as their own. reverse.

Created at cooperation With Paris-based creative studio Cosmic Shelter, the digital environment will provide an immersive experience in a shrine dedicated to “Egonimati,” the fictional secret society that underpins the studio’s fall 2022. .

Users entering through the temple’s entrance will be able to explore a gallery of the firm’s NFTs, along with Easter egg features. Another door will lead to cooperation with Crocs, while a third will open into a red-curtained space with a projection screen and two armchairs – a nod to the suspenseful series “Twin Peaks,” said Glémarec.

The fourth room within the building is dedicated to music created for Egonlab performances.

This platform is an integral part of the NFT project. “We connected the past with our grandparents and now we want to reach out to the future because today’s kids are a different generation to us,” says Glémarec. “We didn’t want to get into NFT just because it was trendy or the brand had to, that’s why we created our own metaverse – to satisfy them in their own way and invite them in our world.”

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