Despite a nationwide crackdown on crypto-related activities, NFT (non-tangible tokens) are catching on in China. This blockchain-based technology is to certify the authenticity and ownership over different types of digital assets such as images, videos, and music, having exploded on the scene within the last 12 months.
Thanks to the unique visual effects and secure characters of NFT products, some of the biggest markets that embrace this technology are art and fashion, with no exclusion in China. Many Chinese major companies have jumped into the NFT’s bandwagon in a bid to attract more consumers, especially the young, who have shown a greater interest in products that are infused with new technologies.
So far, though, the application of NFT in China has been seen mainly in digital exhibitions. It wasn’t until recently that this technology has been employed with an intention to benefit the environment, specifically, some of the wild birds that are facing extinction.
In collaboration with nine of China’s renowned designers, Design Social, the Innovation Centre under the Chinese real estate Xintiandi, has curated a series of NFT collections entitled Awake.
The series includes nine pieces of 3D digital assets, with each featuring one set of outfits created by one of the nine designers. Each digital outfit corresponds to a virtual animal that imitates one of the endangered birds, with the visual effects of the transition between the two also being part of the artwork.
A total of 54,000 pieces are available across the nine sets and are purchasable at the price of 16.9 RMB ($2.65) each, through AntChain Fan Grain, a mini-program dedicated to NFT products that are installed in Alibaba’s online payment platform Alipay.
According to the curator, all income from the sales will go to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), investing in the protection of endangered birds. With money going to one of the most worthwhile causes internationally, and the fashion industry being able to shrewdly assess the potential of this new avenue for revenue.
The creation has been well-received by Internet users, who view it as an “initiative of combing technology and fashion with the environmental cause”. By acting as a medium to afford industries where art is at the core, such as fashion, to level up their efforts in sustainability, the practice might also open a window for NFT itself to gain steam in China where the technology is facing tighter regulatory scrutiny.
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