Source: news.google.com
MNTGE co-founder Sean Wotherspoon.
MNTGE, a collaborative digital wearable brand built around vintage clothing, is creating a buzz and has yet to launch.
The brainchild of co-founders Nick Adler, Sean Wotherspoon and Brennan Russo, the team combines heritage and cutting-edge technology. “We really think brand first and feel like we’ve built a really strong brand that harnesses the creative potential of digital fashion,” says Adler.
The database includes digitized replicas from Wotherspoon’s vintage archive of more than 4,000 garments, from vintage jackets to tour shirts, plus ‘inspired by’ pieces from the collections of other cultural leaders and industry aficionados. “People who lend themselves to hype beast culture,” says Adler. “Because they are the ones that set the trend,” adds Russo.
A digital rendering by MNTGE of a vintage denim jacket from the Sean Wotherspoon collection.
Then the fun begins. These artists and fashion designers will put their own creative stamp on the digital pieces through ‘INKS’, additional layers on top that bring the garments to life.
The list of collaborators is still under wraps, but if you’re looking for clues, the pedigrees of the co-founders and various affiliations may provide a clue or two.
Adler arranges major artist-brand deals in the entertainment industry, has business partners with Snoop Dogg, and is also an investor and advisor to The Sandbox, Yuga Labs, and Non-Fungible Labs. Aside from his vintage archival collection, Wotherspoon is a designer and creative director on projects with adidas, Nike, Porsche and more, Russo is the brand experience type and former manager of music and sports collaborations at adidas.
The outfit is supremely well connected with web3 and many fashion credentials. Today, to celebrate the launch of their alpha series mint passes (styled like clothing labels), the MNTGE team is hosting a MNTGE Twitter spacewith Bored Ape Yacht Club’s Gordon Goner and Gucci’s Robert Triefus, who is CEO of Gucci Vault and Gucci Metaverse Ventures and Executive Vice President of Brand and Corporate Strategy for the Italian powerhouse.
MNTGE Mint Pass
In the future, there will also be real-world extensions, AR filters plus likely integrations with Snapchat, and a variety of PFP projects as interoperability increases. See above for possible associations. Ultimately, the goal is to pair unique IRL pieces with their digital twins, says Adler.
Currently, the markup on physical vintage pieces can range from 100% to 300%. “The idea is that the mint pass can give you access to a selection at what we believe are much fairer prices.”
MNTGE had its genesis 18 months ago during a visit to Wotherspoon’s Round Two vintage store. “When he told me a jersey was worth $2,000, my jaw dropped,” Adler said. He was wearing a Hanes tag instead of a Gildan (vintage fans will understand), had faded, and was bootleg to begin with.
“All of that made it more valuable,” he explained. “I realized that he was talking to me about traits, provenance and rarity. There was so much similarity to NFTs.” The next question was how to chain it and make the rendering as unique and detailed as possible.
Rear view of vintage MNTGE denim jacket.
The digitized looks are stunning, achieved through an elaborate camera crew taking over a hundred 360-degree photos of each garment. “Then we have the Pixar level designers putting it all together,” reveals Adler.
The 1,500 MNTGE Mint Passes will grant access to collections along with planned experiences and airdrops. After today’s allow list is released, the rest will go to a public raffle tomorrow December 15th.
Hype aside, MNTGE is also a solid business proposition. With a market value of more than $96 billion in 2021, which is expected to more than double by 2026, vintage clothing is one of the fastest growing sectors in the fashion industry. Combine that with the projected web3 market size of $81.5 million by 2030 and you get the point.
The end game, Adler concludes, is to “innovate fashion and build a sustainable brand first for the future.”
Twitter’s weekly slots have been around for a while. They have been featuring members of the MNTGE investor and advisory panel such as Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoroso, Colette co-founder Sarah Andelman, Cordell Broadus aka Champ Medici son of Snoop Dogg and former student of adidas, Jon Wexler, and have amassed between 2,000 and 10,000 listeners per episode.
MNTGE Twitter space with Gucci’s Treifus and Bored Ape Yacht Club’s Gordon Goner broadcasting today, December 14 at 4pm PST MNTGE.io
MNTGE co-founder Sean Wotherspoon.
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