Little stirs the pot more consistently, or generates more buzz, than a serial agitator. The digital fashion NFT community now has its very own enfant terrible in Mason Rothschild. The coolest, most fashionable digital NFT wearables are symbols of identity, just as luxury items are in the real-world. The Metabirkin NFTs from duo Mason Rothschild and Ericka del Rosario certainly have people talking, and in some cases, even suing.
As brands like Gucci, Rimowa, Givenchy, Bulgari, Dolce & Gabbana, Jimmy Choo, and many others, continue to tap into the increasingly mainstream appeal of the crypto market by minting their own luxury NFT pieces, the luxury fashion house Hermès has itself refrained from entering into the burgeoning space. The 185-year-old French luxury fashion brand has indicated it has zero immediate plans to enter the NFT or metaverse market, proudly proclaiming that they “value the ‘tangible expression of handcrafted physical objects.’”
Which is why the “MetaBirkin” NFT from Mason Rothschild and Ericka del Rosario is so controversial. The popular digital collection consists of 100 virtual renderings of the iconic Birkin bag. Hermès has spoken out against the offering, which has total sales of around $1 million, saying that they do not consent to the commercialization or creation of the NFTs, and the company is taking legal action to protect its intellectual property and trademark rights.
The MetaBirkins collection is actually the second time Rothschild has used NFTs to play on the well-established reputation of the Hermès bag. His first collaboration, with fellow digital artist Eric Ramirez was dubbed the “Baby Birkin” and was a 1 of 1 edition of an NFT Birkin Bag adorned with a stylized 40-week-old fetus. Rothschild was able to argue then that the Baby Birkin NFT was protected on the basis of parody and satire.
Still, Mason Rothschild isn’t letting the legal trouble get to him. He and Ericka del Rosario recently hosted an NFT launch party in collaboration with artist Amber Park at their fashion boutique in Beverly Hills, Terminal 27. The 3,000 square foot store doesn’t just sell cutting-edge clothing, but is also becoming a social hangout and gathering place for the Metaverse and crypto communities to party and promote their newest digital fashion projects.
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This article originally appeared in the PSFK iQ report, Fashioning Virtual identity.
