After what might have just been the busiest week for luxury and the metaverse to date, Jing Meta brings you the second-installment of our new twice-weekly lowdown on what’s bursting onto the digital scene. This issue, we speak to Lui Larocheski from VALACLAVA, Web3’s rising next-gen apparel label on why gaming platforms have proven a popular point of call for luxury brands worldwide, as well as rounding up our the drops of the week and the latest news on the Jing Meta radar.

China also welcomes its newest digital collectibles platform, Mint Town, to its Chinaverse market this week after a challenging few months of navigating the online space, heralding promising signs for the future of the mainland’s meta-market. Could this mark the beginning of a new era for the country’s virtual expansion? 

As always, please keep sending your launches, projects, and exciting new developments to NFT@jingdaily.com.
 
Thanks for reading! 

- Bethanie Ryder, Metaverse Editor

THE BIG STORY
The virtual sneaker company turned digital fashion powerhouse has announced its latest partnership, with none other than luxury luggage group Rimowa. 

RTFKT is Partnering With Rimowa. What Can We Expect From The Collab? 

What Happened: Yesterday, the news dropped that RTFKT Studios would be collaborating with luggage tycoon Rimowa, on an upcoming launch. Since the announcement flooded social channels, both brands have been teasing the collab via imagery and a series of cryptic tweets, such as “You’re coming from so far away. I hope you packed some food.” The project seems to be taking a futuristic, intergalactic aesthetic, featuring galaxies, spaceships and ‘side-quests’ for onlookers to participate in. Describing the project as ‘the next frontier’ , what exactly the partnership will entail is yet to be disclosed, but the news remains just as exciting nonetheless. 

The Verdict: Following its Nike-acquisition, RTFKT has continued to merge the boundaries between the online and offline spaces through innovative and forward-thinking concepts, such as its recent teaming up with fragrance label Byredo on a series of digitally customized scents. Moving into spaces away from the typical luxury names and instead partnering with brands like Byredo and Rimowa  demonstrates RTFKT’s ambitions to bring Web3 to unexplored sectors — in this case, the fragrance and luggage markets. It’s also refreshing to see a luxury brand like Rimowa opt for a different approach to onboarding itself onto the metaverse, rather than choosing the safe route through digital twins in platforms such as Roblox — a strategy that many have seemingly jumped on to over the past year.

If RTFKT and Rimowa’s previous collaborations are anything to go by, it seems that both the luxury and Web3 community are in for an unexpected treat.

LACOSTE

• Lacoste has released 11,212 more token crocodiles, titled "The Emerge NFT" as part of its digital "Undw3" concept. While this isn't the brand's initial entry into the Web3 space, having earlier collaborated with Minecraft, it is the first time the label has dropped a solo virtual project, which kicked off with a successful NFT drop in June this year. PFP’s have become the face of Web3 over the course of its evolution, and have become a somewhat emblem of digital communities in the metaverse. Lacoste opting to release a PFP-focused project demonstrates that the label understands that community is at the core of success in Web3.

• The gaming platform - who's key demographic is predominantly 9 to 12 year olds - has become a pillar for luxury fashion brands entering Web3. However, last week Roblox, Discord, Snapchat, and Meta were named in a lawsuit alleging that the channels were a gateway for multiple adults to abuse a minor. The conversation surrounding security precautions is ever-present in Web3. As fashion looks to market its products to younger generations, it is essential that they can educate themselves, and their consumers, on how best to navigate these new waters — and the growing pains that come with it.

• Philipp Plein has partnered with eyewear group De Rigo on his latest digital project. The new luxury lifestyle concept features a phygital eyewear design, named the “Crypto King$ Limited Edition”. The collection was presented as a world exclusive at Parisian trade fair SILMO, as well as during a special boutique event situated in Avenue George V in Paris. A pioneer in the virtual space, Plein is once again re-affirming his status as one of the leading players in the luxury fashion metaverse space.