In the 1950s, Cristóbal Balenciaga pioneered new shapes never before seen in fashion, including the babydoll dress, sack dress and cocoon coat. With these design innovations, he achieved what is considered to be his most important contribution to the world of fashion: a new silhouette for women. Long before there were nonfungible token drops and crypto, Cristóbal took fashion, and women, to the moon.
The “Cristóbal Balenciaga: To the Moon” NFT collection is set to spark a revolution with its upcoming launch on Crypto.com NFT in the coming weeks. It is inspired by Lorenzo Riva’s collection of over 8,000 drawings created by Cristóbal Balenciaga during the height of the couture movement. As the artistic director of Balenciaga during the 1980s, Riva received these never-before-seen pieces by Maison Balenciaga, and decided to step up and help bridge the gap between haute couture and Web3.
Collaborators for the drop include Lorenzo Riva, Balenciaga’s artistic director in the 80s; Art Consulting, the company curating Riva’s Balenciaga collection; Artvein, a fine art NFT platform; Animal Concerts, a metaverse entertainment company; Cointelegraph, blockchain and crypto’s leading digital media organization that was responsible for designing and creating the art; and Crypto.com NFT, a leading NFT marketplace.
Haute couture, haute redeemables
In honor of the prestigious project, Riva has decided to double down on rewards and redeemables. Select lucky minters have the chance to receive Balenciaga gear, gift cards to high-end designer brands and even the 70-year-old drawings by Cristóbal. In addition, a number of NFT holders will receive whitelist spots for upcoming Animal Concerts NFT drops and get access to special giveaways that include live and metaverse concert tickets, and more!
NFTs have shaken up traditional markets and forced companies to pivot and adopt new ideologies. With a forward-thinking ethos in mind, Riva, Art Consulting, Artvein and Cointelegraph are taking fashion into the Metaverse.
Strategic partnerships for a good cause
“Cristóbal Balenciaga: To the Moon” brought on Animal Concerts as a strategic partner. Its robust ecosystem will allow for utility-driven value, a bigger marketing push and even more rewards. All “Cristóbal Balenciaga: To the Moon” NFT holders will receive a free Animal Concerts Metaverse concert ticket, as well as special perks for select holders, including tickets to virtual fashion shows, in-person concerts and a whitelist spot to future Animal Concerts NFT drops with top celebrities.
Another strategic partner making waves and setting standards is Defy Trends. The women-led information hub utilizes cutting-edge artificial intelligence, providing investors with digestible, actionable data to empower better digital asset investment decisions. Not only is Defy Trends “presenting simplified ways to make investment decisions” for anyone, but its groundbreaking “Women Who Defy” ambassador program aims to onboard women into the space by providing educational resources, networking opportunities and a monthly stipend. The goal is to “empower women to learn about new technologies and the resulting investment opportunities so they can achieve their long-term financial goals.”
Cointelegraph has begun hosting a series of Twitter Spaces with Defy Trends centered around women in crypto, NFTs and the “Cristóbal Balenciaga: To the Moon” drop. During a previous Twitter Spaces event, Daniela Henao, the co-founder of Defy Trends expressed her overflowing excitement by sharing, “One of the things that I love about this space is its diversity. In Web3, we are rebuilding a new reality. We have to intentionally create a world in which we are all included.”
Moreover, Defy Trends will be hosting a series of in-person events to dive deep into the state of NFTs with its expansive “Women Who Defy” community and shine light on the “Cristóbal Balenciaga: To the Moon” collection. Lastly, a generous $25,000 donation will be made to Defy Trend’s “The Women Who Defy” ambassador program.
For those of you who are interested in obtaining a whitelist spot, and ultimately participating in an NFT project that aims to set the standard for meta-fashion and empower communities, simply join the Animal Concerts Discord, go to the whitelist channel and complete the whitelist form.