As the ugly duckling of the mainstream fashion market, Crocs has proven time and time again that its divisive clog-shaped stomper reigns supreme among consumers. Its trademark tongue-in-cheek design has served as a canvas for myriad collaborations over the years, from Balenciaga to Post Malone.
Now, the brand is expanding its cultural grip by venturing into Web3 alongside NFT collection Doodles. We report below on how the digital community is reacting to the announcement.
In other news, this week saw gaming platform Drest celebrate Scandinavian brands at Copenhagen Fashion Week through avatar fashion, while L’Oréal Professionnel expanded its bold exploration of hairstyles in the metaverse.
Crocs enters the NFT field by teaming up with Doodles on new collaborative project#
What happened
The world can’t get enough of the spongy slip-ons known as Crocs. Following a stellar few years of growth for the footwear disruptor (the company reported a 200 percent increase in sales since 2019), and a strong first half of 2023 packed with collaborations with the likes of Salehe Bembury and Mschf, Crocs is now entering the NFT market alongside fun-loving token collection Doodles.
Launching this month, the tie-up will see Crocs and Doodles reimagine the brand’s proprietary emblems of self-expression — the Jibbitz — as well as a selection of wearables and shoes.
The verdict
With Pharrell Williams spearheading Doodles’ creative endeavors since being appointed Chief Brand Officer in June last year, the collection's entry into the fashion market has accelerated. In April this year, Williams brought the token community to the forefront of street style through a partnership with his Billionaire Boys Club.
This is not the first time that the Crocs silhouette has been harnessed as a blank canvas for iconic intellectual property. The brand has previously tapped IPs including Hello Kitty, Minecraft, Sonic, and Pop Mart, to name a few. Doodles is gearing up to join the roster.
The digital community’s response to the Crocs x Doodles’ link-up has been positive overall, with commentators predicting that the project will bring more mainstream attention to the NFT space — enabling Crocs to leave as big an imprint in the virtual world as it has in the real one.
Drest champions Nordic fashion with its latest Copenhagen Fashion Week-inspired activation#
What happened
Fashion gaming platform Drest is back in the spotlight after launching an activation in line with Copenhagen Fashion Week, which took place from August 7 to 11.
The project brought a number of brands on the Scandinavian fashion week calendar to the metaverse in the form of avatar wearables, including Ganni, Remain, Cecilie Bahnsen, and Stine Goya.
The verdict
Drest is championing Denmark’s often underrepresented talents in its latest project, as the channel expands from exclusively spotlighting established names in luxury to catering to niche interests.
For this activation, Drest incorporated storytelling elements to introduce users to Denmark’s rich cultural heritage and wide-reaching impact on the fashion industry. Following the company's $19 million investment round in June this year, it is wasting no time in storming ahead with its Web3 ambitions.
L’Oréal Professionnel releases second gravity-defying hairstyle drop in Roblox, Ready Player Me, and Zepeto#
What happened
Hair care label and subsidiary of L'Oréal's global flotilla of brands, L’Oréal Professionnel, is back kitting out avatars of the gaming world with its latest hairstyle collection. The drop, dubbed "Odyssea: Creatures of the Sea," consists of five new coiffures inspired by the underwater world.
This collection was imagined by hair designer Charlie Le Mindu and created by 3D artist Evan Rochette, alongside the brand’s agency Ok C’est Cool, and is available now to players in Roblox, Ready Player Me, and Zepeto.
The verdict
Coming on the heels of its "Gravitas" debut collection, the hair care brand is once again disrupting the boundaries of self-expression through hairstyles. As an industry giant and leading hair technology pioneer, L’Oréal Professionnel is benefitting from the Web3 era as more consumers seek new ways of exploring and expressing their identity beyond physical and social limitations.
The most notable aspect of this ongoing project is its interoperability with various global gaming platforms, allowing millions of users across the landscape to access and interact with its features.