As the line between the physical and digital cultural landscapes continues to blur, vintage clothing has now burst onto the scene with the help of a new company co-founded by designer and Round Two Vintage creator Sean Wotherspoon and visionaries Nick Adler and Brennan Russo. MNTGE (pronounced “mintage”), his new web3 project, combines the excitement and creativity of web3 with the superior quality and history of the vintage market. MNTGE aims to bridge the gap between the world of vintage clothing and web3 by creating a global platform for enthusiasts to engage in conversation, gain exposure to industry leaders, and qualify for ongoing opportunities, drops, and releases. Minting a priority pass means access to designer collections and the future MNTGE Market.

We caught up with the founding team of MNTGE ahead of their highly-anticipated teaser to chat about all things old and web3, and what to expect from the trio’s newest project.

How did the idea for MNTGE come about?

Nick Adler: For me, it all started when I was passing Sean’s retail store, Round Two, during the pandemic. As we know, the pandemic was hard on everyone, but there were a lot of little kids and customers buying these vintage t-shirts from your store. Snoop Dogg T-shirts, Led Zeppelin, you name it. I asked Sean how much one of those shirts sold for and he told me, “Easily around $2K, it’ll be gone by the end of the day.” I was flabbergasted when he said that, but he went on to explain why it cost so much and what details and history on the jersey made it worth the $2K: the fading over the years, the content of the graphic on the jersey, the jersey branding: all of these components provided value and validity.

That’s when a light bulb went off in my head and I thought, “It would be amazing if we could somehow marry the coveted vintage with the digital to make something completely new and different.” Sean, Brennan and I have worked together in some capacity in the past and knew of each other’s work in the fashion and talent industries. As this idea accumulated over time between the three of us, we decided to take advantage of it. That was a year and a half ago and here we are now, launching MNTGE.

You are working with one of the leading experts in vintage clothing, in a landscape that is all about novelty. How are you making vintage web3 relevant?

Brennan Russo: Through MNTGE and collaborations, we are taking traditional fashion, art and design to the next level. We are combining vintage garments along with visionaries like Sean and his knowledge of fashion and culture with web3 to create a completely new creative experience for the consumer, through the garment itself. It is a vehicle for us to collaborate and connect with the consumer in both the physical world and the digital world.

What types of advantages can holders expect? Is Sean leaving NFT futures? Will this token give people access to any of your web2 projects?

BR: The MNTGE Pass is our founding member pass for the community. MNTGE gives pass holders the opportunity to interact with fashion history, cultural cornerstones and rare collectibles that are otherwise impossible for most people to own, wear or experience. This pass grants priority access to our designer collections and the future MNTGE Market.

How did you determine that now is the right time for a fashion project?

NA: A financial market can never be predicted or controlled, but conviction and confidence in an idea can. We are very convinced of the value that this project can bring to the masses. Vintage is also one of the fastest growing sectors in the fashion industry today. It offers buyers and collectors a perfect blend of unique style, collectability, heritage, and sustainability, so we wanted to take advantage of that and bring our ideas to life.

What was the biggest difference between working with something like this versus something that is more traditional?

BR: Integrating blockchain into anything can make the process longer, but it’s worth it. We’ve seen that creating art in this way allows people to verify true ownership of their assets, which is the way we see many industries go.

Can we get some inside information for our readers on what’s to come?

NA: We’re thinking a lot about the “emergent experience” where we ask ourselves, “How can we create real life experiences that are direct connections to the digital space?” First we are a brand. We’ve created a really strong look for it, and we plan to layer on some of the coolest fashion tech you might have seen, or never seen, before.

You don’t have to be a techie to appreciate what web3 can be in your life.

What do you hope the fashion and web3 communities take away from this project?

Sean Wotherspoon: An accessible connection to web3 from a new perspective, whether you’re already a web3 native or coming from the vintage or fashion world. The two are deeply connected and you don’t have to be a techie to appreciate what web3 can be in your life. You can be a normal human and you can wear your jean jacket, and you can also wear it on web3. That’s super accessible to me.

Featured image courtesy of MNTGE