Welcome back to Now Runway, where we report from the front lines of the digital fashion and luxury revolution. Today we report to you from the beautiful coastline of Positano where summer scenes abound and there is hardly a screen to see as service in the hillside of this village is spotty.
Read on to see what you missed this week, including a Dior digital twin sneaker release, SYKY Collective announcing their first cohort, and an Agoria collaboration with DressX that has us dancing to the beat of its wearables.
Dior B33 sneakers by Kim Jones
Dior’s house introduced the B33 sneakers, the first Dior pieces with an encrypted key offering exclusive new services. Complementing the looks of the Dior Autumn 2023 men’s collection, created by Kim Jones, these sneakers are adorned with signature Dior elements.
They will be available from July 13 in three versions: one in mohair, another that accentuates the Dior Oblique toile and a third as a reinvention of the Dior Oblique pattern in denim for the Dior Tears capsule.
A digital key encrypted using NFC technology is embedded in the sole of each proper sneaker and provides access to a private, secure platform that offers customized services. Using technology from the Aura Blockchain Consortium, users can verify the shoes’ certificate of authenticity, gain insight into the different stages of production and receive early notifications about upcoming sneaker releases. A select edition, limited and numbered, also includes a Digital Twin Collectible. A total of 470 unique pieces, combining mohair with Dior Oblique, will be available exclusively on Dior’s website from July 6.
SYKY unveils first SYKY Collective lesson
SYKY, a luxury digital fashion platform, has unveiled the first class of the SYKY Collective, consisting of 10 international digital fashion designers. The Collective is disrupting the luxury fashion industry by bringing together innovative talent from diverse backgrounds and geographies, promoting inclusivity and paving the way for a more diverse and dynamic future in fashion. The group will follow a comprehensive year-long incubator program carefully curated to nurture and take digital design talent to the next level.
Under the tutelage of the respected SYKY Mentors, the SYKY Collective focuses on brand development and growth of designers, guiding them from emerging brands to industry pillars. With a curriculum designed to increase business scalability, access to state-of-the-art digital design tools, and in-depth exploration of digital worlds and Web3 technology, these gifted designers are poised to transform the industry and the luxury fashion houses of tomorrow. The SYKY Collective will begin a year-long incubation program in July 2023, with their debut collections expected to launch on SYKY’s website later this year.
The inaugural class of the SYKY Collective features designers from ten countries, including the Dominican Republic, China, Nigeria and Italy, demonstrating a variety of innovative approaches to digital fashion at the intersection of luxury and sophistication. Pet Liger from Cyprus is a pioneering Web3 fashion house and design studio specializing in footwear, featured as a central designer in the Gucci Vault Collaboration. Steve Fung from the UK is a digital fashion artist who combines contemporary fashion elements with her Chinese heritage for renowned brands such as Paco Rabanne, Joe MaloneAnd snapchat.
GlitchOfMind from the Dominican Republic is a visual artist and photographer who innovates clothing design by combining VR Sculpting and AI for 3D avatars. Calvin Dylan Justus from South Africa is a digital multimedia artist who is inspired by natural movements and how to create garments and art that bridge these worlds. Taskin Goec from Germany is a mixed reality visionary who combines his technical skills in spatial computing with an avant-garde flair for physical garments. Fanrui sun from China is a digital visual artist who pushes the boundaries of textiles and fabrics in spatial environments with state-of-the-art aesthetics.
Next berries from Nigeria is a forward-thinking fashion house that combines heritage and technology to design unisex clothing for the metaverse. Gustavus Toledo from Brazil is a 3D creative who explores the intersection of science, fashion and art to make fashion more accessible and intersectional. Felipe Fiallo from Italy is an eco-futuristic footwear designer dedicated to implementing sustainable Cradle-to-Cradle design principles in the footwear sector. Jacqueline Assar from the US is an immersive technology developer bringing artistic visions to life in augmented, virtual and physical environments.
Agoria x DressX
DressXthe leading metafashion retailer, has collaborated with the French electronic music pioneer and Web3 artist agoria to introduce a limited edition wearable NFT collection on their platform. A celebrated producer, DJ and owner of the Sapiens record label, Agoria is no stranger to the NFT art world and has carried out numerous successful projects. This new NFT drop features AI-generated artwork that moves in unison with the artist’s most recent music release. The collection includes a limited edition shirt (with 100 editions available for $125 each) and a free mint cap exclusive to Agorians – members of the artist’s Web3 community.
Using DressX’s digital dressing technology, all artworks will be equipped with wearable augmented reality functionality. This allows owners to wear the pieces in real time through the DressX app. Each NFT will also include a custom soundtrack file from Agoria.
Agoria now shared with nft: “I have always wanted to make fashion items that are no longer static. Designing pieces that are BioGenArt, music, film and fashion at the same time was everything I ever dreamed of ever making. Art and fashion are no longer static, let’s embrace this.”
The DressX and Agoria NFT drop-open minting starts on July 6 on the DressX website.