Egonlab Takes First Steps With Crocs – On the Runway and With NFTs

BEST DIGITAL FOOT FORWARD: Choosing between physical and digital is a thing of the past — at least as far as Kévin Nompeix and Florentin Glémarec’s EgonLab is concerned.

The Parisian label, which won the 2021 Pierre Bergé prize at the ANDAM Fashion Awards, is doubling down on the debuts with their first on-schedule runway show and a first crop of NFTs, both with footwear brand Crocs.

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In addition to physical pairs adorned with Swarovski crystals that will complete the runway looks, five NFTs have been made, one for each design that will be showcased on the show.

“We could not be more excited about Crocs’ first entry point into the metaverse from an NFT perspective with Egonlab, with whom we share our passion for innovation and creativity,” said Crocs’ senior vice president chief marketing officer Heidi Cooley.

Previously, the footwear brand made forays into digital environments through partnerships with Minecraft, Bitmoji avatars and the NBA 2k video game series.

The five NFT, matching the physical pairs from the Egonlab fall 2022 collection. - Credit: Courtesy of Egonlab
The five NFT, matching the physical pairs from the Egonlab fall 2022 collection. - Credit: Courtesy of Egonlab

Courtesy of Egonlab

The Egonlab x Crocs NFTs will go up at auction on peer-to-peer digital marketplace OpenSea, at 5:30 p.m. CET when the label’s first on-schedule show kicks off.

At the conclusion of the auction, the lucky winners will also receive the physical pair matching their digital footwear, sealed in a glass case emblazoned with the words “Ceci n’est pas une Crocs” (or “this is not a crocs”) as an homage to surrealist artist René Magritte.

While these aren’t meant to be worn, Nompeix hinted that pairing an NFT with limited-quantity physical items would be part of the brand’s plans going forward.

Proceeds of the auction will be donated to charities facilitating the access to technology to underserved populations. “It’s important to us to support [these initiatives] because [the digital world] is the future for society,” said Nompeix.

At the same time, the Egonlab website, currently featuring a locked door, will open up to reveal what the designer pair described as their own metaverse.

Created in collaboration with Paris-based creative studio Cosmic Shelter, the digital environment will offer an immersive experience in a temple dedicated to the “Egonimati,” a fictional secret society that underpins the label’s fall 2022 season.

Users stepping through the temple’s entrance will be able to explore a gallery of the label’s NFTs, along with Easter egg features. Another door will lead to the collaboration with Crocs, while a third will open into a space draped in red curtains with a projection screen and two armchairs — a nod to the suspense series “Twin Peaks,” said Glémarec.

A fourth room is in the works, dedicated to the music created for the Egonlab shows.

The platform was integral to the NFT project. “We connected to the past with our grandparents and now we want to reach into the future because the kids of today are already a different generation to ours,” said Glémarec. “We didn’t want to go into NFTs just because it’s trendy or that a brand has to, that’s why we created our own metaverse — to meet them on their own terms and invite them into our world.”

FOR MORE, SEE ALSO:

Balenciaga and Crocs Team on Second Collaboration

Can the Crocs Effect Carry Into Resale?

A Look at Crocs’ Biggest Fashion Collaborations

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