FROM RUNWAY TO NFT: GCDS’s alien mascot Wirdo is getting the NFT treatment.
After having embodied the invitation — and spirit — of the brand’s spring 2023 runway show in September, the pink character is to become the protagonist of the label’s first foray in NFTs.
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Through the initiative, GCDS will offer 4,888 unique non-fungible tokens on Ethereum. Buyers will receive a one-of-a-kind portrait and gain access to its community as well as a range of future services, including exclusive access to pre-sales of runway pieces and capsule collections, a 30 percent discount on the label’s e-commerce, as well as digital items to use in different meta-worlds. In addition, members will be offered access to exclusive sales of concert tickets, online raffles and the chance to win runway show passes.
Sales of the GCDS NFTs will be launched on Friday on the brand’s website. Transactions will be available via both real and crypto currencies.
“Everybody can invest in NFTs, they are accessible and transferable to anyone in the world,” said GCDS chief executive officer Giordano Calza, who cofounded the brand with his brother Giuliano in 2015. Calza underscored that this aspect is in sync with the label’s approach and its mascot, “an alien who [embodies] our willingness to be on everyone’s side as an inclusive brand.”
“This initiative gives our community the opportunity to have safe assets that can be appreciated over time and that are protected by the blockchain technology. For GCDS, it also represents the chance to expand its community and a new way to generate value without necessarily having to produce physical goods,” added the executive.
To enable the brand’s aficionados to familiarize with the project, over the past week the company teased the initiative on Instagram through a series of different animations, both on its official account and a separate profile dedicated to Wirdo. Contents also included simple educational slides explaining what an NFT or blockchain are.
GCDS creative director Giuliano Calza explained in an exclusive interview with WWD that Wirdo best embodies this sentiment and the one of his generation.
“It’s a symbolic character and invites you to celebrate who you are,” said the Millennial designer at the time. “I got into fashion [and was perceived] as an alien. I was the one making ugly clothes and stuff, but that eventually worked. And I believe the same goes for my generation and younger ones who feel like aliens, too. But the thing is that we are not here in transit, we have to live in this world.”
Founded by the Calzas with an acronym for “God Can’t Destroy Streetwear,” GCDS has also referred to “Giuliano Calza Design Studio,” which will now be predominant as the brand is maturing in terms of aesthetic and expanding its offering. At the end of 2020, the company secured an investment by Italian private equity firm Made in Italy Fund, managed by Quadrivio and Pambianco.
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