Quick take:
- The NFTs are minted on the Cardano blockchain.
- Buyers of the NFTs can customise a physical couture piece in the designer’s studio.
- Buyers can dress their 2D and 3D avatar in couture designs inspired by the NFT collection.
Lebanese-American fashion designer Rami Kadi debuted his first NFT collection on his website and at Theatre of Digital Art in Dubai yesterday.
Titled ‘Lucid Algorithms’, the NFT collection consists of 120 works of colourful tropical inspired graphic art minted on the Cardano blockchain, priced at 1025 ADA ($1066). Each piece is generated by an algorithm that Kadi programmed himself, with shapes, colours, patterns and textures of his choosing.
Besides being the first couturier designer to launch an NFT collection in the Arab world, Kadi is also the first designer minting their NFT on Cardano. Explaining his choice of blockchain, Kadi said that Cardano is more eco-friendly, sustainable and cheaper than the widely used Ethereum, and that he sees potential for the blockchain’s growth.
Kadi has been recognised for his efforts in environmental causes. He pioneered the Middle East’s first environmentally conscious fashion cyber-show in 2020 and has been designated the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Sustainable Fashion in West Asia since September 2020.
Buyers of the NFT can head to the designer’s studio to customise a physical couture piece. They can also dress their 2D and 3D avatar in couture pieces inspired by the NFT art they bought.
Kadi says that his NFT buyers be invited to all future events organised by his fashion house in the physical world and in the metaverse.
As the fashion world is taking on the metaverse with the upcoming Metaverse Fashion Week in March, Kadi is contemplating the possibility of opening a shop in the metaverse or hosting metaverse fashion shows.
Speaking to The National News, he said: “This is my first NFT collection and it will definitely not be my last … Simply, there is no escape from the virtual world anymore. It’s inevitable. It’s going to change the way fashion works. It is time for us to delve into this world and we hope to see you in there.”
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