The NFT (non-fungible tokens) series: Universe Paco Rabanne & Fondation Vasarely launches on Tuesday 12th April in collaboration with Selfridges.
The collection includes 12 Victor Vasarely NFT artworks and 12 Paco Rabanne “Unwearables”. The NFTs will be on sale at universenft.live powered by Selfridges and Charli Cohen, with prices starting from 0.2 WETH. Purchase can be made directly with Moon Pay, a financial technology company that builds payments infrastructure for crypto, via NFT Checkout-an industry-first solution that allows users to purchase an NFT instantly with a credit or debit card.
“To give something to see” and “To bring art to the streets” are the roots of Vasarely’s works, who was a modernist, and these are the foundations of the contemporary plastic research. This NFT experience will bring a new dimension to Victor Vasarely’s works, positioning him once again as a visionary.”
Pierre Vasarely, President of the Vasarely Foundation.
This first NFT series features 12 unique Victor Vasarely artworks in token form, the majority of the proceeds of which will go to the Fondation Vasarely, a museum in Aix en Provence, France dedicated to the artist. 6 of the NFTs in this collection are digital designs of original artworks in the museum that require repair – which will be facilitated by funds from this sale. The 6 “damaged” artworks will be coded with a smart contract programmed to refresh the metadata of the design to reflect the healing of these artworks, directly onto the NFT – the repairs will take place once a year over a two-year period. Fondation Vasarely is the first cultural institution in France to create NFTs.
For his debut couture collection in 1966, Paco Rabanne presented 12 unwearable dresses in contemporary materials’. Now, the brand is pushing the concept of unwearable’ further still, uniting past, present and future by creating NFT dresses based on 12 of its most iconic styles from the past seven decades. A one of one Paco Rabanne “Unwearable” Rhodoid Crystal Cape NFT from the Haute Couture collection of Spring/Summer 1969, includes an invitation to visit the Paco Rabanne atelier, to create a made-to-measure custom version, which will require 200 hours of intricate work, feature 5600 plexiglass diamonds and need 18,000 metal brass rings for the assemblage. The other 1/1. from Haute Couture, Fall/ Winter 90/91 is the black metallic “Samurai’ top, mini skirt and headpiece. The ‘rea? version of this will require 220 hours work in the atelier using 5000 pellets, 10,500 metal rings and will be reproduced with the original mould.
The NFT collection is part of Universe – a multi-layered cultural collaboration between Selfridges, Fondation Vasarely and Paco Rabanne. Universe explores the work of Op Art movement pioneer, Victor Vasarely (b.1906 Pécs, Hungary, d. 1997 Paris) and his Avant-Garde contemporary, Paco Rabanne, via physical and digital experiences, the NFT series can also be experienced within Selfridges flagship metaverse store in Decentraland until 14th April. The launch features an immersive journey with Paco Rabanne and Fondation Vasarely, within a space inspired by Selfridges’ iconic Birmingham store.
Universe is a continuation of Selfridges’ commitment to art which has been an integral part of the brand since it first opened in 1909. The launch of these NFTs allows Selfridges to further explore the future of art, fashion and retail through the work of two artists whose respective artistic visions were both radically future-facing.
“At Selfridges, experimenting with new ideas and new models is what excites us the most. I’m proud that we have been able to truly push the boundaries of the shopping experience with this collaboration, while considering the future of fashion and art, in partnership with Paco Rabanne and the Vasarely Foundation”
says Selfridges Executive Buying Director, Sebastian Manes.
NFT Editions
Paco Rabanne NFTs
Tier 1
- 2 editions of 1 for total of 2 NFTs
- Cape of rhodoid crystals at £145,000 with utility of physical made-to-measure cape samurai suit at £185,000 with utility of physical made-to-measure suit
Tier 2 confirmed editions
- 10 editions of 56 for a total of 560 NFTs at £956 per NFT
Vasarely NFTs
Tier 1 “Damages”
- 2 editions of 1 for total of 2 NFTs at £25,000 per NFT
- Utility: private dinner and museum tour, solo name on plaque in museum
Tier 2 “Damages”
- 4 editions of 15 for a total of 60 NFTs at £7500 per NFT
- Utility: private museum tour, name on plaque in museum with group of 48 names
Tier 3 non “Damages”
- 1 edition of 50 for a total of 50 NFTs at £2000 per NFT
- Utility: infinite object
Tier 4 non “Damages”
- 4 editions of 100 for total of 400 NFTs at £900 per NFT
- Utility: infinite object
Tier 5 non “Damages”
- 1 edition of 100 for total of 100 NFTs at £600 per NFT
