THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PFP NFT COMMUNITIES AND DIGITAL FASHION COMMUNITIES:
Everything is now a community. Whether it be digital fashion, music or art; It is about being a part of a tribe, a group, to feel a sense of belonging. Belonging can have different meanings though and connotations; therefore, I will briefly discuss what I deem to be the differences between PFP NFT Communities and digital fashion communities.
NFTs changed the way we think about art and therefore, fashion as well. During the pandemic we changed the way we thought about work by migrating online. Over the last couple of decades we changed the way we thought about music; we went from vinyls, to CDs, to streaming platforms. In turn, the art market is having a seismic shift away from its current model and the same thing will happen with fashion. The main difference beting that the values upheld in the communities will vary slightly.
With the traditional PFP NFT Communities, it is not a product, it is a collectible, an obsession, a way of life. It is scarce, rare and reflects our taste and shared identity with added benefits built on the exchange of cultural currency. It is a vehicle for thrill and status. Which is slightly different to the fashion world, which I will get onto later. Imitation is a large trend within society and culture; this is where we can see more of a difference between the two communities. In the art world once a tastemaker sets a ‘trend’ or a celebrity endorses an NFT project a community tends to follow. It is built largely with the hope of becoming part of a community or in some cases, ‘flipping the item’ or then selling it for money.
The fashion NFT community on the other hand, I believe, is orientated around self expression rather than a tribe. The communities are focused on making each individual member feel appreciative and proud of who they are, who they want to be or how they design their avatar. NFT fashion isn’t about replacing a physical garment with a digital one. It is about tapping into a new commodity market to create a community of representation and identity whilst going down this unexplored rabbit hole of potential.
A particularly interesting notion is the idea of scarcity; being a gamer I am aware of the lack of scarcity and essentially the generalization of digital designs, skins or items. Communities are starting to spend more time in digital environments, this increases the importance of virtual identity; thus, digital items become more valuable. With NFTs, the element of one-of-ones and the fact these objects now have material value, people are joining the community not as a way to be a part of a ‘trend’ or as an investment, but to accentuate a part of themselves.
In conclusion, there are a lot of similarities in the uses of NFTs in each community. However, the basis and the cultural and societal backbone that runs through the community is different. Each is orientated around a form of art, yes. However, one would be naive to say that both communities have the same materialistic values. One thing is for certain, though, all communities must aim to reward its creators, set a tone and example of positivity and inclusion for all members and reward those who actively help others.
