Luxury brands have been breaking new ground in the web3 space since 2019, when digital fashion brand The Fabricant partnered with blockchain game developer Dapper Labs to create the “first purely digital clothing” built on blockchain technology.
Since then, various iconic brands such as Louis Vuitton, Prada, and McLaren Automotive have experimented with emerging web3 technologies to pave the way for luxury NFTs. Even amid market volatility, high-end products remain one of the most suitable use cases for NFT technology due to their focus on rarity and inherent scarcity.
Additionally, the ability to track the provenance of digital and physical items on a blockchain mirrors the tradition of using seals, hallmarks or certificates of authenticity on physical collectibles and luxury goods so people know they are authentic.
In many ways, luxury brands are reinventing classics, such as Louis Vuitton’s VIA Treasure Trunk, which replicates the fashion house’s luggage staple, and in doing so, they are bringing luxury brands into the digital world, connecting with new and old audiences.
Here are 16 luxury NFT collections that are changing the way customers interact with their favorite high-end brands.
mmERCH's low-key luxury generative hoodie
In September 2024, new fashion hoodie brand mmERCH teamed up with NFT influencer Seedphrase and Austrian crystal company Swarovski to launch a cutting-edge NFT product that combines fashion, technology and art.
The collaboration features a generative hoodie inspired by Seedphrase’s famous seven crypto-punks and embellished with Swarovski crystals. Paired with an NFT that acts as a “wearable wallet” to give buyers access to an exclusive digital experience, the generative hoodie is both a high-fashion statement and a record of digital ownership.
Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium
In early 2023, French fashion house Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) launched two NFT opportunities for its community to collect luxury digital goods, the first of which was in January, where anyone who purchased YSL's iconic fragrance Black Opium would also receive an NFT, with 2,000 original and 14 ultra-rare editions in the series.
Its usefulness will vary depending on the NFT’s rarity, but could include everything from a curated makeup set to access to YSL’s second YSL Beauty Night Masters collection of the year.
For the Night Masters collection, YSL collaborated with three artists – Ivona Tau, Natalie Amrossi (aka Misshattan) and Laura Sills – to creatively interpret the theme “The Thrill of the Night”.
The second NFT collection supports an important cause, with all proceeds reportedly donated to nonprofits dedicated to preventing and combating intimate partner violence, and buyers of these luxury NFTs received exclusive benefits including a metallic print of the NFT and a bottle of YSL’s iconic Black Opium perfume.
Glenlivet’s NFT and AI whisky collection
In February 2024, the famous Scottish whisky distillery Glenlivet launched an Ethereum-powered NFT series that includes some of the oldest and rarest spirits ever released by the brand. The series, called "The Twelve Elements," includes 12 bottles of 50-year-old whiskey made from 12 essential factors and ingredients that are recognized for their role in crafting Glenlivet's legendary single malt whiskey.
The designers reportedly used generative AI to create unique commemorative labels for the collection, and each bottle comes with an NFT documenting its sales.
Panerai’s Digital Passport NFT
In October 2023, Italian luxury watchmaker Panerai integrated NFTs into its business model, providing blockchain-based digital passports for all its watches. These luxury NFTs serve as certificates of authenticity, allowing Panerai owners to verify the provenance and ownership of their watches just like physical certificates.
Owners of these digital passports will also have access to exclusive content and experiences, further enhancing the enjoyment of their new Panerai watch.
Fabricant x Dapper Labs, the first digital fashion
The Fabricant, a pioneering digital fashion company based in Amsterdam, made a splash in 2019 when it partnered with blockchain game developer Dapper Labs to create the “first purely digital dress,” a move that opened up new territory for luxury NFTs.
By allowing fashion to exist entirely in a digital space, The Fabricant introduced the concept of blockchain-powered fashion, laying the foundation for other luxury brands to explore NFTs. This collaboration is a pivotal moment for both digital fashion and NFTs as it demonstrates the possibility of creating high-value digital items that consumers can own and display.
Fabricant’s early adoption of blockchain technology opens the door for other luxury brands to integrate digital products into their business models, offering unique digital fashions as exclusive collectibles made from pixels that can be used in virtual spaces such as gaming worlds or on social media platforms, allowing consumers to express their digital personalities in innovative ways.
McLaren F1 Team 23/23 Collection
At the start of the 2023 Formula 1 season, McLaren launched its new series of “McLaren F1 Team 23/23 Collectibles”, the luxury car brand has released exclusive series before, but this time, the NFTs can be minted for free.
The series offers fans the pleasure of collecting NFTs for each of the 23 races, provided they claim their NFTs within a specific time frame during each race weekend, and those who collect and keep all 23 NFTs before the end of the season will be entered into a drawing for prizes including a chance to attend next season’s races and a signed poster.
Louis Vuitton 的 VIA Treasure Trunk
Louis Vuitton is bringing its iconic travel trunks into the world of NFTs with the launch of the “VIA Treasure Trunk Collection,” soul-bound NFTs that cannot be sold on the secondary market once purchased.
Valued at $41,000, the NFT is a key to the LV universe, giving owners access to future releases and exclusive community opportunities.
While the collection is available to the public, there are some hurdles that potential buyers will need to clear, with eligibility criteria for being on the waitlist including owning other collectibles from LVMH brands or other luxury brands, having a crypto wallet with a portfolio valued at over $1 million, or having a collectible portfolio valued at over $200,000.
Once potential buyers submit their eligibility information, Louis Vuitton invites a select few on the waiting list to purchase the luggage.
Louis Vuitton Speedy 40 VIA Bag by Pharrell
Louis Vuitton also launched the “Speedy 40 VIA Pharrell Williams,” marking the brand’s first activation for VIA Trunk owners, an NFT centered around the iconic 1930s “Speedy” bag, reimagined by Louis Vuitton’s new menswear creative director, Pharrell Williams.
Unlike previous Louis Vuitton NFTs, the Speedy NFT is not soul-bound and holders can redeem this NFT for a physical bag in 2024, adding a tangible element to the digital collection.
Gucci x Christie's Generative Art Series
In July 2023, Gucci and Christie's teamed up to launch the generative art series "Future Frequency: An Exploration of Generative Art and Fashion". This luxury NFT series brings together many digital artists, including Tyler Hobbs, Emily Xie, Botto, William Mapan and others.
Each artist created a generative art NFT to express their interpretation of the subject, and Christie's explained that the series combines fashion design with generative art and artificial intelligence, which uses algorithms and data to mimic human creativity to produce artworks.
SYKY's spatial reality application
SYKY, a digital fashion platform founded by former Ralph Lauren and Burberry executive Alice Delahunt, shocked the fashion world in July 2024 when it launched a spatial reality app for Apple Vision Pro.
The app provides an immersive experience where users can interact with the avant-garde digital fashion brand’s blockchain-based creations.
Burberry x Blankos Block Party
In 2021, Burberry partnered with next-gen gaming studio Mythical Games to launch a multiplayer game (Blankos Block Party), bringing its classic British style to the metaverse, which allows players to collect and customize unique digital characters.
Mythical Games eventually said goodbye to Blankos and shut down the game in 2023, but not before users enjoyed purchasing adorable limited-edition NFTs of Burburry characters, including a unicorn named Minny B.
While in hindsight the experience was short-lived, seeing luxury NFTs appear in metaverse games showed how players could become attached to these characters and enhance their gaming experience.
Prada's Timecapsule collection
Like Lamborghini, Prada is delighting customers with an ongoing experience called the “Time Capsule Series,” a monthly offering available for 24 hours only on the first Thursday of each month, when the company releases limited-edition physical goods and gives away NFTs.
The apparel choice for the “Time Capsule Collection #57” is a shirt featuring graphics that explore themes of memory, all brought to life through bold strokes of color.
Mercedes-Benz Maschine Series
Mercedes-Benz kicked off the summer of 2023 with a generative art NFT partnership with digital artist Harm van den Dorpel and virtual art collective Fingerprints DAO.
Mercedes-Benz has teamed up with Harm to launch “Maschine,” a collection of 1,000 unique NFTs that the website describes as “metaphorical radiating patterns that create complex and ever-changing illusions when certain objects are rotated and accelerated.”
At first glance, each unique piece of art evokes a colorful and dynamic pinwheel.
Maison Margiela's MetaTABI shoes
In May 2024, French luxury brand Maison Margiela entered the web3 realm with its MetaTABI collection, which features physical hand-painted Tabi boots and leather wallets, each with an NFT that unlocks exclusive virtual experiences in metaverse worlds such as The Sandbox and Ready Player Me.
Margiela collaborated with The Fabricant for this one-of-a-kind offering, and we already know The Fabricant is a pioneer in digital fashion.
OTB Group’s on-chain identity verification work
In early 2024, OTB Group, the parent company of designer brands Maison Margiela and Jil Sander, began implementing on-chain authentication to combat the growing problem of counterfeit goods. Using blockchain technology and near-field communication (NFC) chips embedded in products, customers can now verify the authenticity of their purchased goods in real time.
OTB is a member of the Aura Blockchain Alliance, an industry alliance that has registered more than 1.2 million products on an Ethereum-compatible blockchain. Counterfeit goods cost luxury brands billions of dollars each year, but OTB’s use of blockchain technology provides us with a model for transparency and proof of origin.
Let me ask again: What is a luxury NFT?
Luxury NFTs are unique digital items that represent proof of ownership or authenticity of high-end merchandise or exclusive content, and they use blockchain technology to create a unique digital record for the physical good, digital good, or both (referred to as “physical-digital” goods).
How NFT technology can change the future of fashion and luxury brands
The integration of NFT into the luxury market has several transformative effects:
Digitization of Fashion: NFTs are digitizing fashion, allowing luxury fashion brands to create purely digital or hybrid “physical-digital” clothing and accessories that can be worn in a virtual environment. This shift opens up new possibilities for fashion expression and interaction in the digital world, just like Snapchat and TikTok filters, only for designers.
New Business Models: NFTs pave the way for innovative business models such as membership clubs and ultra-exclusive collections that disrupt traditional notions of ownership and provide consumers with new ways to access luxury goods.
Improved transparency and authenticity: Thanks to the globally accessible digital ledger technology of blockchain, NFTs provide greater transparency and authenticity to the luxury industry. Brands can now more transparently verify the provenance and ownership of their products, ensuring that customers receive authentic and exclusive products.
New forms of creativity and self-expression: NFTs are unlocking new forms of creativity and self-expression for brands and consumers, with luxury fashion brands able to experiment with unique digital designs and experiences, while consumers can showcase their digital collectibles in virtual environments and express their own personality.
Sustainability: NFTs promote sustainability in the fashion industry by reducing the need for physical production. Luxury fashion brands can create purely digital products, thereby minimizing waste and environmental impact. This practice is in line with the growing demand for environmentally friendly practices in the luxury industry.
Loyalty programs are growing thanks to luxury NFTs
From art lovers to fashionistas, luxury NFTs are creating new experiences that make owning high-end products more dynamic than ever, and luxury brands are using digital products as a record of ownership and a benefit for their most loyal customers.
By holding specific NFTs, collectors can unlock benefits like early access to new collections or invitations to exclusive events, and this digital-first approach helps brands engage customers in the long term.
As luxury brands grow, NFTs prove that exclusivity and innovation are a perfect match on the blockchain.
NOTE: This is for informational purposes only and is not intended as financial or investment advice.
#mmERCH #LouisVuitton #Gucci #Burberry
OpenSea content you care about
Explore | Collect | Sell | Buy
Bookmark and follow OpenSea Binance Channel
Get the latest news
