Feeling RSTLSS

Greetings digital fashion friends,

Hope you're all gearing up for some relaxing (holi)days ahead! I know we all are busy, so I'll get right to it.

But first...

It's the season of giving. If you enjoyed last week's issue, please forward it to a friend.

If you're that friend, you can subscribe here.

🔑RSTLSS Mints Out THE KEY

A brainchild of the talented Charli Cohen, RSTLSS (pretty wild website that might send your computer into orbit) is a digital fashion label and co-creation platform enabling brands and individuals to create and sell multiverse fashion delivered through a gamified experience.

I know that's broad, so here's the simplified version to help clear things up.

As stated by fellow writer Megha Paul, the ease of digital asset creation and customization of in-game environments is still challenging due to the extremely high-touch onboarding of brands without an intermediary, the high-skill level required for AAA digital content, and the perceived lack of IP control.

To solve this...

After raising $3.5 million from investors like BITKRAFT Ventures, Paris Hilton, and RED DAO, RSTLSS minted out its first drop, THE KEY, in less than 48 hours.

The utility of THE KEY is two-fold:

1. A digital jacket that can be customized with artwork created in collaboration with ten artists from Charli's community. Holders can then wear their creation as a “designer skin'' across the gaming industry, metaverse, and AR/VR social, and have the option to redeem a custom 1/1 physical garment.

2. An access key to the RSTLSS ecosystem giving the owner unlimited access to presales, brand updates and collaborations, and over 4,000 games in partnership with Ready Player Me.

My take: Really cool concept and I'm very excited to see Charli bring her vision to life.

BUT, it took me ~15 minutes of research to figure out exactly what RSTLSS and The KEY are. Even with the already-inked partnerships with Epic Games, Roblox, Paris Hilton, there is so much education to do.

This goes for the entire digital fashion industry...

Hire some damn copywriters and ditch the hyperbolic PR speak. You'll thank me later.

DressX 🤝 Warner Bros

The music giant behind top acts like Cardi B, Beyonce, and Ed Sheeran is partnering with DressX to create virtual t-shirts, hoodies, and other artist merch. As part of the deal, WMG has also invested an undisclosed sum in the digital fashion platform.

DressX will partner directly with artists from concept to release, providing the augmented reality, machine learning, and blockchain tech needed for all "verch" (absolutely hate this phrase) to be worn by avatars across Instagram and Snapchat.

This caps off a hell of a year for DressX, who landed partnerships with top fashion and tech companies, including Meta, American Eagle, Roblox, and more.

💻An Interview with LTD.INC CEO Daryl Kelly

In 2020, Daryl Kelly started The Bitcoin Movement, one of the first companies to integrate blockchain technology into a streetwear collection using Near Field Communication (NFC).

Two years later, LTD.INC was born, partnering with top-tier brands and artists like Wrangler and Leon Bridges to create physical and digital NFT experiences.

From fine art prints to couture denim, each physical product contains an embedded NFC chip, which, when scanned, unlocks engaging digital content far beyond proof of ownership.

Read the full interview here.

👾Pixels and Threads:

• Jevels released its new virtual jewelry collection in partnership with Snap, featuring these beautiful digital earrings designed by Stella Achenbach and Lauren Kacher.

• Spatial launched its creator toolkit designed to lower the barrier to entry for digital designers across mobile, desktop web, and VR.

• VR is changing the way physical footwear is designed. This video from MLLN.io is so cool.

• The owner of Hello Kitty filed a trademark application for virtual clothing and bags, among other virtual items and experiences.

That's all he wrote. I'll be taking next week off (and you should too). I'll catch you on the flip. It's gonna be fun.

Thanks for reading,

Randy