Digital fashion house The Manufacturer collaborated with RTFKT to create the RenaiXance digital clothing collection, which was created as NFT.

The manufacturer and digital shoe designer RTFKTThe RenaiXance collection is inspired by Renaissance clothing and plays with the theme of rebirth.

It features coins – including dresses – that are reminiscent of styles of the era, but that were designed uniquely for a digital universe and minted as non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

“RenaiXance means rebirth, highlighting the fact that in the digital world we can be reborn time and time again, transforming ourselves daily to express multiple selves,” said Michaela Larosse, Content Manager at The Manufacturer.

“Our work only exists in non-physical space, which means our pieces are always digital, never physical.”

RenaiXance aims to reinvent the binary constructions of clothing, by reinterpreting traditional ideas of masculinity and femininity through a renaissance-meet-streetwear objective.

“Does a character become less intriguing if they wear a dress and corset regardless of their gender?” asks the mark.

The collection includes RTFKT-designed platform sneakers, a corset inspired by the design of the sneakers, a trio of Renaissance-style dresses, large earrings and a ring.

“For this collaboration with RTFKT, we wanted to present a collection with a clear vision of the ability of digital fashion to be fluid and go beyond preconceived gender norms,” Larosse said.

“With RenaiXance, we presented the idea of ​​a ‘Pluriform’ – a multi-expression garment silhouette that can be worn over any body of any size,” she added.

“Digital fashion has obvious application in the video game world, but the game’s visuals and skins still conform to established gender ideas in the physical world, pushing historical notions of masculinity and femininity.”

Clothing can be worn virtually, for example on social media platforms and by avatars in games, allowing users to express themselves in gaming and digital environments that are generally more limiting when it comes to clothing options.

All pieces have been designed with a digital center of gravity, which allows clothes to drape and move as if they were physical clothes.

The digital clothes were minted as NFT and available for purchase on the site The dematerialized, an invitation-only online marketplace for digital fashion, where they sold out in 11 minutes.

Blockchain technology allows NFTs to act as digital certificates of ownership that enable digital works to be bought, sold, traded and collected.

Larosse explained that by hitting the items at NFT, digital clothing has a whole life beyond the manufacturer. Buyers can choose to wear, collect or trade in the clothes.

“The clothes have a use for being worn in VRChat and Sansar, so we hope to see avatars wearing our pieces in the metaverse,” Larosse said.

“But whether buyers want to keep them as collector’s items or trade them in digital markets as limited edition pieces, that’s entirely their choice.”

The growing popularity of NFTs has seen artists and designers use the blockchain authentication system to sell digitally immersive and interactive works.

The future of augmented reality has been called by some a “creative and artistic renaissance” that will change the way people interact with physical and digital space.

Recently, The Manufacturer released a pair of digital sneakers in collaboration with Buffalo that can only be worn in video games, and artist Krista Kim sold the world’s first NFT digital home that can be experienced in virtual reality.