The Web 3.0 Company Launching Dedicated Fashion Metaverse With PFW Rising Star & K-Pop Girl Band

Jean Paul Gaultier protégé and rising star Victor Weinsanto launched Paris Fashion Week with a runway cast of fellow designers and artists from Rochas’ Charles de Vilmorin to RuPaul’s Drag Race France star La Grande Dame. With all shapes, sizes and sexualities, the show was as gloriously IRL as it gets.

Meanwhile in the metaverse, Weinsanto unveiled eight virtual designs for trending K-Pop girl group Lightsum. The looks, realized in the form of digital wearables by Web 3.0 outfit BNV (Brand New Vision), will be sold as tokens or NFTs. Real world and digital benefits will include exclusive show and concert access, personal greeting videos and previews from Weinsanto and K-Pop outfit Lightsum.

What was the appeal of creating looks that don’t exist in real life? “It’s so much easier because you don’t have to worry about sizing or gravity.” Victor Weinsanto told me. “It’s something we want to do much more — maybe even for a fashion show in the Metaverse.”

The tokens drop at the end of October to coincide with the official launch of BNV’s fashion dedicated metaverse BNV World.

Expect exclusive product activations, fashion shows (perhaps involving Weinsanto if the designer’s hint is anything to go by) and showrooms — both open and gated — play to wear elements and a marketplace where digital products can be bought, sold, traded, borrowed or gifted within the community.

“The other metaverses are more gaming based and don’t have that fashion focus,” says BNV founder Richard Hobbs. “We wanted to make it fashion friendly and more social so people can interact with eachother.”

For BNV World’s Paris based physical launch, expect a 10-day gallery takeover in partnership with Korean culture magazine K! World.

Hobbs, a Hong Kong based garment industry professional working in retail, distribution, product development and sourcing across Asia is also the region’s licensee for hip L.A. concept store Le Brea. I sat down with Hobbs and BNV Business Development Director David Giordano to get more insight into the company, investors, clients, onboarding and the draw of Paris as both a hub both for Web 3.0 businesses and Korean Culture.

So what exactly is BNV?

Richard Hobbs: We’re first and foremost a fashion company that happens to understand tech. As everyone in our front end team is from the fashion industry we know the language and the expectations of brands when it comes to fidelity. We’re like a babel fish in the middle of a double edge funnel. Our job is finding the place on the slider.

Who are your investors?

RH: Animoka Brands is our biggest investor. They’re a venture capital company that started off in mobile gaming. They are the majority owner of Sandbox and have $5.8 billion invested in over 300 blockchain related companies.

Can you namecheck some of your clients?

We’re working with the CFDA for their 60th anniversary auction project doing 3D product creation for brands including Tommy, Hilfiger Michael Kors and Coach. We’re partnering with (Paris based blockchain company) Arianee which will run the auction side. Sandbox and Polygon are involved as well. We are also in conversation with global luxury houses, premium brands and retailers.

Adoption of Web 3.o and digital fashion is still slow for the wider population. What will speed it up?

David Giordano: It’s tied to metaverse fidelity, interoperability and technologies like AI and AR which will make clothing fit better. As soon as more people can flex, it will have has a bigger reach.

Why did you choose Paris for your physical partnerships?

RH: Paris is amazing location as there is so much happening in the Web 3.0 space. Sandbox, Arianee and (start-up incubator program) Station-F are based here and LVMH is another driving force both with its own provenance based blockchain (Aura) and as an incubator for other technology companies. Paris is also one of the biggest markets for Korean culture outside of Korea.