THE POWER OF NOT KNOWING

There’s a question that comes up often: How did you know? How did you know before anyone else that digital fashion would accelerate to redefine what fashion can be? 

The straight up answer is we didn’t know. Certainty doesn’t come into when there’s no template to follow and nothing to base your business hypothesis on. We had the same access to information as anyone else on the subject, which was none at all. The fashion industry knew it was long overdue to embrace tech and innovation, just like every other creative industry before it. But there’s a world of difference between knowing something and acting on it.

But we had one thing that no one else had: the will to put our everything into making fashion’s digital RenaiXance happen, no matter what. 

Image: the fabricant x buffalo london ‘fortuna’ shoe

We may have lacked resources at the time, but there has never been a shortage of passion and belief in what digital fashion has the capacity to be, or the energy to make it happen. It’s been said before but it still rings true - ultimately we are all what we do. 

Anyone who’s had to strive to get an idea off the ground knows what it takes. Showing up every day to make something happen when you’re swimming against the tide can make you question your judgement. But sometimes uncertainty can be the thing that drives you. It’s what everyone means when they talk about The Hustle. Or to put in business language, an entrepreneurial mindset.

This definition from www.hacktheentrepreneur.com nails it: An entrepreneurial mindset is a way of thinking that enables you to overcome challenges, be decisive, and accept responsibility for your outcomes. It is a constant need to improve your skills, learn from your mistakes, and take continuous action on your ideas.

It’s a spirit we encourage in every team member that joins us. But this isn’t just an internal belief system. It’s a way of operating that defines the teams we collaborate on the change-leading projects that come our way. Like inevitably attracts like.

Buffalo London is a good example, who we’ve worked with once again to evolve their participation in the digital fashion landscape. Our first project, a co-created digital sneaker which debuted in January this year, presented the concept of being digitally-dressed to Buffalo’s audience for the first time. They committed fully to the idea, placing the digital-only piece right next to the regular physical inventory on their website. No physical fashion brand had ever done that before, marking a landmark crossover moment for digital fashion.

THE FABRICANT x Buffalo London ‘FORTUNA’ SHOE

Today we go live with Buffalo London x The Fabricant design collab 2.0. The latest piece, the ‘Fortuna’ sneaker, drops on Async art and moves fashion’s needle once again. Created as a layered NFT, Fortuna is a multi-owner, collaborative and collectible piece. Each of the buyers can interact with their section of the sneaker and switch up the design based on their aesthetic preference. 

To discover more about the beauty and capacity of layered digital art, take a look at Async’s insightful video HERE.

Utility will be added to the NFT through the creation of an AR filter, with the owners deciding on the final look before its captured and transformed into a wearable asset by Vyking. The really great part? The filter will be dropped across our channels for anyone to wear and show off their digital swag. The shoe owners get to decide their own fashion future, and everyone else’s.

Has Buffalo London ever done this before? Do they know the outcome? Is there some pre-written path that shows them exactly what will happen? The answer to all of these questions is of course is no. But it has always taken bold steps into uncharted territory to bring about lasting change. It’s the momentum of actions like this, by brands committed to innovation and challenging the status quo, that will transition fashion from its over-reliance on physical goods towards its digital future. 

It’s a privilege to be alongside them on the journey once again. Embracing what we don’t know is sometimes the most powerful and exciting thing we can do.

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The Fortuna shoe NFT drops on Async art at 6pm CET today, June 10th