Characters from Redman’s Dour Fits NFT drop, who will also be his new protagonists … [+]
Craig Redman, OG of the NFT profile picture popularized by Bored Ape Yacht Club, Crypto Punks et al are launching blockchain fashion game Dour Fits to coincide with New York Fashion Week.
The game, developed by former Apple designer Adam Johnson, is an extension of Redman’s latest release, 10,000 NFT of the same name, based on his character Darcel.
The NY-based artist created the egg-shaped cyclopean protagonist in 2008. Like Bored Ape Club (officially) with adidas and Gucci, or Crypto Punks (unofficially) with Tiffany & Co., he has since collaborated with brands such as Nike , adidas, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Cocoa Cola and Ikea.
In 2012 Redman collaborated with Colette on an exhibition to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the iconic Paris concept store. The show featured 150 Darcel-style versions of Colette’s celebrity friends – including Karl Lagerfeld, Steve Jobs, Anna Wintour and Kanye West. Colette co-founder Sarah Andelman, French PR guru Lucien Pagès and many others have customized Darcels as their Instagram PFP ever since.
Characters from Redman’s Dour Fits NFT drop, who will also be his new protagonists … [+]
Dour Fits game is centered around community and fashion. The community of Dour Darcel and Dour Fits owners will be able to connect their wallets to play, styling their Darcel character in a virtual dressing room. They will use features from their NFTs – which become virtual in-game clothing packs – along with additional in-game options to compete in themed challenges.
“We’ve taken advantage of the metadata built into NFT and used the technology to create something else,” Redman told me.
He added that the challenges will be linked to various calendar events including Paris Fashion Week and the Oscars and will vary according to the time of year. The Darcel NFT community will vote to determine the winners and the prizes will include both NFTs and phygital wearables that exist both on the blockchain and in real life.
He was keen for the project to have a figural dynamic. “I like the idea of NFT projects having a foot in real life as well as the metaverse,” he said. “You must have both.”
NFTs will be dropped into winners’ wallets and also traded on the secondary market.
And although the game is currently only for Darcel owners, Redman says he’s working on an app to bring it to a wider audience.
Limited Edition Darcel Disappoints x Colette NFT.
Redman joined the NFT conversation in March by mining 10,000 Dour Darcels, the algorithm created from his original illustrations. It was followed by a limited NFT collaboration with Colette, giving the store that closed its physical doors in 2017 a second life in the Metaverse.
“Fashion has always played an integral role in Darcel’s personality, so creating a collection based on that – articulating his taste and cultural references – is something that’s really exciting for me,” he says, adding that “the community it’s the most important part of the project because it’s up to them to shape the direction.”
The brands that have most successfully entered the Web 3.0 or NFT space are those like Gucci and adidas that have partnered with members of the existing Web 3.0 community.
Dour Fits is Redman NFT’s third outing, and the characters and looks in the fashion-focused collection are based on the eclectic style of New York hipsters. Darcel fans will recognize some of the 200 features — like Anna Wintour’s ‘Bangs’ and Ralph Lauren’s ‘Mane’ — from Redman’s 2012 Colette show.
“I’m trending with Darcel now more than ever,” he concludes, “and there’s a lot of things down the road that we can explore…”
