Louis Vuitton once again takes the digital route with a new phygital mini trunk designed by women’s artistic director Nicolas Ghesquière. It is being sold as a non-fungible token (NFT).
Called the Via Tile Trunk by Ghesquière, this is the first time he is adding to a Web3 project from the French Maison, reports Vogue. With a decade’s experience with the label, he has yet again shown his prowess in blending the brand’s tradition with modern technology and innovation with this mini trunk.
Here’s more about Louis Vuitton’s latest NFT bag
Features of the digital Louis Vuitton mini trunk bag
The miniature trunk debuted in the September Spring/Summer 2024 show at the house’s newly built space at Paris’s iconic Champs-Élysées. It boasts the characteristic Louis Vuitton ‘damier’ (checkerboard) exterior and a chain strap.
The NFT bag is a white and gold mini silhouette set against an orange glow. Tagged at EUR 6,000 (around USD 6,500), only 200 of such NFTs are available for those who have previously purchased the Louis Vuitton Treasure Trunk NFTs. The digital collectable also comes with a physical bag, which will be available from March 2024.
As an ode to Maison’s travel heritage, the description of the NFT bag on OpenSea states, “Echoing Louis Vuitton’s voyage into digital craftsmanship, the pixelated cube embodies a contemporary allure.”
Louis Vuitton’s NFT drop ahead of the Hong Kong show
The VIA Tile Trunk by Nicolas Ghesquière NFT bag comes after the launch of 200 orange monogram Speedy 40 bags by men’s creative director Pharrell Williams. It was launched at his debut show at the Paris Fashion Week Men’s in June 2023. This unique colour, too, was made available Via Treasure Trunk holders, “who will get to access their physical counterpart in January,” mentions Vogue.
Williams, a proponent and collector of NFTs, has been instrumental in building Web3 projects for the brand and is slated to showcase Louis Vuitton men’s Pre-Fall 2024 collection in Hong Kong on 30 November. This NFT bag by Ghesquière comes as a major announcement in inviting guests and clients to join the house’s digital journey.
Louis Vuitton’s digital odyssey
With the launch of the VIA Tile Trunk by Nicolas Ghesquière, the ace designer embraces the ever-widening scope of digital craftsmanship and a new type of savoir-faire that is in tune with the brand’s history with voyage and adventure.
LV’s Web3 strategy is based on limited-edition accessories being turned into digital collectables. For instance, the new diamond-encrusted Millionaire Speedy Bag costs USD 1 million and is only available to top-tier clients. When an NFT angle is added to it, the item makes more news.
The brand announced the VIA project in June 2023 with a few hundred silver Treasure Trunks being offered as NFT bags accompanied by a physical copy, costing EUR 39,000 (about USD 42,693). Loyal LV collectors had to apply to purchase one such piece.
Each trunk token is “soul-bound” and is a non-transferable token, states the elite Maison. “The purchase of the VIA Treasure Trunk is necessary to enter the VIA community that will grant you the possibility to purchase upcoming digital collectables. However, the future digital collectables which the VIA Treasure Trunk gives access to purchase will be transferable,” mentions the brand.
If you are a staunch Louis Vuitton aficionado, this digital NFT bag is one collectable that you wouldn’t want to miss.
(Hero image credit: Louis Vuitton/ Instagram; Feature image credit: Louis Vuitton)
