Berlin, Germany
Highsnobiety, the media pioneer who since 2005 has shaped the forefront of youth culture from the proliferation of streetwear to its infiltration of luxury, announces the creation of the Highsnobiety NFT Studio.
Launching in February 2022, the studio will be helmed by its newly-appointed Managing Director Jüergen Alker who will lead a global team out of Highsnobiety’s Berlin headquarters to develop and execute brand-led NFT and Web3 projects, consult with luxury and lifestyle brands on how to strategically execute within the NFT space as well as advise and connect Web3 entities with brands within the luxury and lifestyle space.
Since inception, Highsnobiety has established itself as a platform defining the cutting edge of what’s next within media, culture and luxury.
With a deep and native understanding of the dynamic qualities of the NFT space – which is in many ways an evolution of the ‘drop’ retail model made popular through streetwear – the NFT Studio is an organic next step for the brand as it continues to look to the future of luxury and retail.
Highsnobiety Editor in Chief Thom Bettridge expands:
“Web3’s infrastructure holds so many promising opportunities to provide new experiences, products, and forms of content to our Highsnobiety community of cultural pioneers. Everything we do, we do for them. Our lives take place digitally now, and we see that many of our most loyal readers are early adopters in this new space. We want to build new infrastructures for interacting with our community, and our NFT projects will serve as a platform for this.
What makes products and collaborations great today, are the stories that they tell, the way they make us feel and the value that they carry. We are entering a next phase of evolution, where these same attributes can be carried by purely digital products, spaces and communities. We could not feel more at home in the metaverse.”
The Highsnobiety NFT Studio will operate on parallel tracks – developing its own NFT and Web3 products, while also offering its valuable insights into the space as a cultural consultant for luxury and lifestyle brands, as well as tapping into Highsnobiety’s wide network to connect Web3 brands with fashion players.
The Highsnobiety NFT Studio’s Managing Director Jürgen Alker comes to the project with three decades of experience in breaking new creative and technical ground, having worked with iconic brands such as Eastpak, Dickie’s and his own mobile agency “Swipe” which was acquired by SinnerSchrader, as well as Accenture, where he served as a Managing Director. Alker says on the new venture:
“I’ve enjoyed a career working with some inspirational creatives, building brands we’ve been proud of. The common thread throughout my past work has been a pursuit of what’s next – this pursuit is what brought me to Highsnobiety as they relentlessly push ahead into shaping the future of culture.
Their perspective and impact on culture at large to date has been enormous, and is going to bring an enormous value to the Metaverse as this new medium continues to crystallize. I couldn’t be more excited to dive into this work together and invent the future.”
Highsnobiety’s NFT Studio follows off the back of a series of successful forays into the space. In June 2021, the brand released a highly coveted series of NFTs in collaboration with RTFKT, the studio which would later be acquired by Nike to lead the brand’s Web3 projects. In January 2022, Highsnobiety released a limited run of tokens in partnership with iconic footwear brand Moon Boot and digital artist Geoffrey Lillemon, which was sold in a competitive 24-hour auction, further proving its audience’s affinity for highly curated digital goods.
Already a valuable cultural consultant for some of the world’s most dynamic brands, Highsnobiety’s NFT Studio will allow the publisher to extend these services into the Web3 space. Remaining at the forefront of culture, luxury and retail brands will be able to engage the Studio to forge paradigm-shifting creative concepts allowing these partners to not only enter the metaverse, but to define it.
Now active, the Highsnobiety NFT Studio will debut its initial projects in early 2022.
About Highsnobiety
Highsnobiety is a brand dedicated to a new generation of cultural pioneers. Our mission is to discover and champion the best our culture has to offer, connect people through our love of style, and amplify a community of emerging creators. Always ahead of the curve, Highsnobiety is dedicated to discovering what’s next.
Founded in 2005 by CEO David Fischer, Highsnobiety is a global business headquartered in Berlin with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong, Sydney, Tokyo and Milan. We are a digital media and cultural consultancy at the intersection of style, art, design and technology, providing a platform for the brands and people we are passionate about.