What should NFTs augment?
During the Solana hack house in Soho NYC, I took a walk around the block and saw brands from top designers on display behind polished glass right around the corner from street vendors hawking fake LV and Guuci over thin blankets.
People who buy clothing today care about a range of different things, but how do they ever know what’s true? If only there was a way to store or link information on a physical good to certify it as an authentic piece, trace it’s material origins, environmental and humanitarian impact, and even recoup some resale value.
The idea of being more intentional about clothing, due to how much it visually represents a person, isn’t new, but current issues around greenwashing, replica articles (especially sneakers), and outright fakes make it hard to verify that what you’re buying actually is what it is outside of trusting the process the brand uses.
What are some problems a physical digital one to one bridge might solve (bridge for short)?
-
Authenticity - Guuci can now publicly list out all the valid, real pieces made by them, and invalidate almost overnight a whole industry surrounding replicas and fakes.
-
Fair Trade, and certified materials - what kind of labor is this piece made with? Is this truly made with Nappa leather from Italy, or something else?
-
Resale market - how does the original clothing maker ensure that what they sell is a longterm investment, and could there be an monetary incentive for them to prioritize longevity in what they sell?
What are the current best ways to bridge nfts to physical goods and is there room for something here?
smartseal.io - nft to nfc, need to see if the nfc portion can be replicated (probably?)