Global fashion brand HUGO announced today that it will collaborate with renowned Web 3.0 company, Imaginary Ones on a holistic, 360-degree metaverse experience. This partnership sees HUGO take a major step forward in its exploration of the metaverse, as the launch of its first-ever NFT collection marks another significant milestone in the global refresh of the brand in 2022.
An exclusive HUGO x Imaginary Ones NFT collection of 1,001 3D animations, entitled ‘Embrace Your Emotions’ (EYE), will be launched in early November. The aim of the collection is to encourage everyone to connect with their emotions, and to share a message that all feelings – positive and negative – are valid and should be embraced, as the freedom to feel and express can significantly improve mental health and overall well-being.
Of the 1,001 NFTs, six characters will contain special attributes. Five characters each represent one of our everyday emotions – joy, sadness, fear, anger, and love. The fun storyline of the collection will also benefit a charitable cause as, to mark World Mental Health Day on October 10, a special sixth character bringing together all five emotions will be auctioned, with 100% of the proceeds donated to Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM). This evidence-based mental health program invites young people aged 13 to 17 to learn about and explore the topic of mental health, and has been conducted with more than 85,000 teenagers across 16 countries.
An allowlist will provide access to the HUGO x Imaginary Ones EYE collection, and enable purchase of the NFTs. Of 1,000 allowlist spots in total, 500 will be allocated to customers who purchase an exclusive phygital T-shirt. There are 500 limited-edition T-shirts for sale, and each will contain a QR code where users will be directed to a Snapchat Lens to create a special augmented reality effect.
The remaining 500 allowlist spots will be distributed to existing holders of the Imaginary Ones’ genesis NFT collection, and through a myriad of activities on Imaginary Ones’ Twitter and Discord platforms from October 4 onwards.
Miah Sullivan, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing & Brand Communications at HUGO BOSS, said: “The metaverse is an exciting new space for fashion brands, one that is rich with potential for HUGO. We are excited to partner with Imaginary Ones to deliver an NFT collection of beautiful 3D assets that enables us not only to further explore this virtual world, but also to share a message of self-acceptance and being true to yourself, which is at the heart of what HUGO stands for”.
Clement Chia, Co-Founder of Imaginary Ones, said: “Imaginary Ones is humbled and honored to partner with HUGO and to be the first Asia-born NFT project to collaborate with an international fashion brand. We share the HUGO’s values and commitment to contributing to an inclusive and equitable world. With this partnership, we aspire to strengthen Imaginary Ones’ presence beyond the Web 3.0 space and further our cause in embracing inclusivity and diversity everywhere”.
In addition to receiving a “golden ticket” for a 10% discount in the HUGO online store, all holders of a HUGO x Imaginary Ones NFT will have access to Imaginary Ones’ staking ecosystem, which grants the holder a separate set of special HUGO x IO merchandise, experiences, and content, including digital HUGO wearables and HUGO-themed Imaginary Ones drops.
Going forward, HUGO and Imaginary Ones will explore various ways to continue strengthening this partnership and provide further value to holders of the collection, including exclusive experiences in the metaverse. This is just the first of a line-up of projects to bring HUGO’s brand experience together with the creativity and positivity of Imaginary Ones.
About HUGO and HUGO BOSS
HUGO, the younger of the HUGO BOSS brands, is the platform for self-expression and authentic dressing. Globally engaged, always curious and uniquely expressive, HUGO creates clothes for those who lead rather than follow to push individuality and boundless styling forward. HUGO BOSS, comprised of its two brands: HUGO and BOSS, is one of the leading companies positioned in the premium segment of the global apparel market. The group offers collections in 128 countries at around 6,800 points of sale and online in 59 countries via hugoboss.com. With approximately 14,000 employees worldwide, the company, based in Metzingen, Germany, posted sales of EUR 2.8 billion in the fiscal year 2021.
About Imaginary Ones
Imaginary Ones is an NFT collection comprising 8,888 fully animated and 3D characters on the Ethereum network. Founded by Singaporeans Clement Chia and David Lee, Imaginary Ones believes in using art to spread love, positivity and creativity. Alongside three other partners – Gregory Poon, Caleb Hoon and Jerome Kwek, the team launched one of the most successful global NFT projects thus far, selling out the entire collection within 6 minutes of the Dutch Auction sale. To date, more than 12,000 Ethereum (~$20,000,000 USD) of sales volume have been transacted on OpenSea.
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