Iconic British luxury brand Burberry has creeped into the NFT game scene with a striking Sharky B collection. It is in partnership with Mythical Games set for release on August 11.
The 165-year-old fashion brand is launching the NFT collection as part of the flagship Mythical Games title "Blankos Block Party," a multiplayer party NFT game that features digital vinyl toys called Blankos residing on a blockchain. It offers players proof of verified ownership and authenticity, Yahoo! reported.
Burberry is the first luxury label that will become part of "Blankos Block Party."
The collection features Burberry's "Animal Kingdom" house code-inspired TB Summer Monogram, the limited edition Burberry Blanko called Sharky B that can be bought, upgraded and traded on the Blankos Block Party marketplace.
Burberry NFT Collection to Include Accessories in 'Blankos Block Party'
The Blanko includes branded in-game NFT accessories, such as a jet pack, armbands and pool shoes that players could use. Sharky B can also be taught certain tricks or powers, such as a burst of speed and incredible agility, to ensure its distinctiveness.
In a statement shared with Hypebeast, Burberry chief marketing officer Rod Manley said that gaming is a "unique space for us to test and learn and trial digital innovations that embody our values," while "celebrating creativity amongst our communities." Manley said the partnership with Mythical Games is a "natural first step, going beyond our in-house games by bringing the Burberry universe into an established environment."
Burberry further mentioned in a Coindesk report that it hopes to gain value for the gaming community by having players interact with the brand in an environment that would celebrate art and design.
The collection will be the initial digital items that would form part of the Burberry "B Series," which are limited edition product releases on Burberry channels.
Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci Taking Huge Steps into NFT Space
Other luxury brands are also taking huge steps into the NFT space.
French fashion house Louis Vuitton on Wednesday launched "Louis: The Game" to mark the 200th birth anniversary of founder Louis Vuitton, Ledger Insights reported. It will follow the Paris journey of the brand's mascot Vivienne, featuring Beeple-designed NFTs to be collected by players along the way. These NFTs, however, are just collected and not for sale.
Italian giant Dolce & Gabbana also tweeted a partnership with the UNXD marketplace to launch NFT wearables.
Gucci, on the other hand, confirmed to Vogue that it will only be "a matter of time" before it releases an NFT. On the digital front, it has released a pair of $12 digital sneakers that brought the brand closer to the gaming community, which is the foremost goal of such moves.
Meanwhile, a new marketplace called 4K, which distributes NFTs paired with luxury items held in storage, has also moved forward in setting up a legitimate storefront after raising $3 million in seed funding from such ventures as Electric Capital, IDEO CoLab, and ConsenSys.
