Fashion Week is in full swing in New York City, and because it's 2022 NFTs are involved, of course.NFT platform LTD.INC and Wrangler Jeans have announced a first-of-its-kind NFT collection, celebrating Wrangler’s 75-year anniversary with a two-tier NFT drop ending with a VIP performance by Leon Bridges. Daryl Kelly, the CEO of LTD.INC, joined Cheddar News to discuss the drop and the customer response.

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LTD.INC. on Wrangler Jeans, Leon Bridges NFT Collaboration

And joining us now to discuss is Darryl kelly Ceo of limited inc. Thank you so much for joining us. This is a really cool initiative. So, walk us through the inspiration behind creating this collection with Wrangler. Yeah, hi, thanks asia, it's a pleasure to be here. So, I just want to thank you all for giving us the opportunity to talk about it. So, essentially, um Wrangler being, you know, a known business in the denim space, you know, wanted to step in and create this fantastic denim collection. And Leon Bridges was actually quite a funny story. He was actually discovered. So, in an open mic night, he was actually wearing his vintage high waisted Wrangler jeans and that sparked a conversation with his now manager, Austin Jenkins, which kind of, that was the start of his career. So, there's there's this kind of love affair with leon Bridges and Wrangler. And so that started the official relationship. And then Leon Bridges saw this really cool vintage denim piece on instagram and reached out to Wrangler and asked them to recreate it with his kind of touch and style. And that was kind of the journey for the two. And essentially, that led to what we call the Mr Rangel N. F. D. Collection, which is we launched the first part in february just gone. But overall, it's really to celebrate Wranglers 75th anniversary, which is this year. And Wrangler and Leon Bridges wanted to step into virtual fashion and with limited ink and kind of, what we specialize in is attaching physical goods, essentially, our streetwear fashion to the Blockchain via our kind of bespoke NFC technology partner for this collection. But let's also talk about the actual N. F. T. Drop itself. It's done in two parts. So explain how this works, why two parts and what has the response been like from customers. Yeah. Fantastic. So the first drop went live in february 22. As I mentioned, that was the icon tier which consisted of 75 digital animated N. F. T. S essentially of a signature dance move choreographed by leon himself. In addition to owning that are the icon and ft gave collectors access to digital communities, virtual metaverse wearable. So digital fashion and a V. I. P. Pass to a by invitation only performance by leon bridges which is actually happening in new york city, you know during new york fashion week was all happening now tonight. Um and so that was the first here. So with that we wanted to offer all kinds of cool utility being in in in real life experience. But we also wanted to work with the brand to create something tangible that you know, is in with the brands kind of ethics and what they put out. And so we created a second tier called the legendary tier which will be unveiled at the private show tonight and that consists of a one of one exact replica of the Wranglers custom denim jacket and jeans outfit that they created for leon bridges and only he holds in his private collection. And so the collector of this rare piece essentially will receive a unique outfit in real life, delivered in a custom, what we call a retro futuristic suitcase which we've made from scratch. We've kind of taken a suitcase and refurbished it with custom Wrangler comic book lining on the inside and infused it with our NFC technology. And then also leon Bridges has made space exclusive content which then gets embedded into the chip, which is accessible through our for our phone app. So that collector can then interact with the product and get to know the backstory and the kind of history behind the whole project. So it's a really cool kind of, I would say cutting edge merge of digital and physical fashion all happening in one piece. I also want to ask you when it comes to this N. F. T drop, what is the experience like and pretend we're talking to an audience that isn't familiar with N. F. T. S. And wearable fashion in this capacity. Is this something kind of similar to the art that we see pushed out in N. F. T. S. Or where can you use these wearables? Are they something that you can use on different platforms? Yeah, so essentially with what we do, it's we'd like to cross over both worlds. So it's something you can use in real life. Whether that be a collectible, whether that be an NFC infused hoodie, but certainly the digital side of it, I mean the metaverse is this new thing and it's kind of like It's kind of the Internet in 1995, you know, it's quite tricky to use and I think it puts a lot of people off because it's still so early, but essentially if you think how, where we'll be going in five years and the trajectory, you know, we're only going into a more digital world and so digital fashion is going to become a huge part of our world and so brands that are taking notice of that now, we're going to be well positioned for the next 2 to 10 years when that space really cements itself in everyday life. And so at the moment, yes, it's it's quite clunky and you know, there needs to be more people in the space using these metaverse is to actually make it a thriving community, but it's getting there and it's really cool and it's really busy and it's giving brands the opportunity to create and you know, really pioneered new types of fashion And so we see these without Wrangler collection for example, we get 75 essential and wearables that's a metaverse and you know, all the 75 holders, they go in, they put them on and then they go walk around and they interact and they kind of just chat and have another experience as if you would go to a friend's house or pub and have a drink and chat. So it's all happening now. Yeah thanks for breaking that down because I do agree. I think this space just has so much potential were already just beginning to see it. But it's only scratching the surface. And I want to talk with you about limited inc because you've worked with a lot of different clients and we've seen so many different collaborations especially over the past year or so. So walk us through the unique process when you're helping these brands to create N. F. T. S. What goes into that process? Yeah. Okay great question. So we were an N. F. T. Marketplace and platform but we like to take a much deeper role than that. So we actually take more of like a consultancy and agency position. So working with our clients from the ground up that means holding their hand through the entire process. And because we offer this merged physical and digital I think we're attracting a lot of those kind of traditional brands who want to add to the space but don't just want to do something wholly digital because they're aware that they need to still maintain a relationship with their current user base and they're they're kind of customers. And so what we do is we work with them to look at their existing I. P. And also work out ways they can either leverage that or create new products, merchandise on top of what they've already got and so we as a brand also have manufacturing capabilities, whether that be pieces of art, whether that be fashion or anything bespoke we can really create. And so from there as well we provide the text. So limited is a primary is the launchpad. So once the collection is kind of concern, Sexualized and then created, we create the physical asset and the digital asset and then limited, inc is the launchpad, if you like, where that that collection will be launched and available for sale to the public. And then in addition to that, we have a what we're launching in Q4 marketplace, essentially allowing these assets to change hands on a global scale. And the best thing about that is because they have the NFC tech built into it. These products, these pieces of art, they're authenticated. So, you know, people who are buying them, they know they're getting illegitimate product or a legitimate piece of fashion from the brand that we say we're selling it from and that still counts even after it's left the limited website for the first time, after it changes hands and hands. Second on the secondary market, that authenticity is still built in and still, you know, still verifiable. I love that we're having this conversation on the heels of Fashion week going down in new york city. I wonder when you think we're going to see a lot of this go mainstream in terms of fashion and what needs to happen with the metaverse in order to see that adoption. Yeah. So yeah I do agree. We are right on the cusp of this really taking off I believe. And you know we've been building our technology for the last two years. Were under another company I built in 2020 for the Bitcoin movement. We were one of the first companies in the world to connect a physical streetwear collection to the Blockchain. And so we built limited in to kind of build on top of that tech. And over the last six months we've seen this narrative change from digital only N. F. T. S. You know, there's been this huge craze and this big speculative market kind of bubble up and it's now crashed. And now we're left with all the, you know the brand building back and building real value into the N. F. T. S. And you know, if you look at artifacts they were brought up by Nike you look at some of the big influences on twitter which is where a lot of this NFC chatter goes on, they're really building in a physical product into their into their strategy. And so what we're seeing as well as the NFC technology is becoming a big part of that story because it just allows brands to offer a much more elevated and interactive product and brand experience. And I'd say we're one of the leaders in the space, you know, we've got our own platform, we've got our own tech, we've got our own app. We can give royalties back to our creators who create physical products with us, which has never been done before. So I think what needs to happen next though is really, you know, regulation, you know, people need to know where they stand. That's brands and consumers and collectors in terms of how they're interacting with N. F. T. S and Cryptocurrency because that's really what they are. And as that becomes more clear, it will probably spur on a more encouraging environment for people to go in and buy and collect. And on top of that, I think, you know, the space has really grown up recently and I think developers have realized that not everybody out there like trying to buy N. F. T. S are also programmers and so making new X and you are much easier for people to actually come on and use and buy and trade. And so as the experience becomes a lot easier. So will the grow. And the other thing is that I think the lingo needs to change N. F. T. S is a scary word and it puts people off, we create this program called no nonsense N. F. T. S because at the end of the day, we're creating an FTS were actually really still selling t shirts, hoodies, works of art. They just happen to be backed by the authenticity of an N. F. T. Lots of good points, Darryl before we let you go. I also want to know why you think the fashion industry in particular has embraced the men of ar so much compared to other industries and where do you see other industries may be following suit here? Yeah. So I think the fashion industry has connected so well with it because it's just such a good fit. It allows you know with being able to be in a digital space. E. G. You have a persona, you have a person who you're walking around with. Then the next step is really to address that person. And as our lives become equally if not more digital we will be living a digital personality as well. And so being able to you know where and kind of sport your favorite brand in that digital world is just is inevitable. And so I think yeah fashion houses and and kind of these brands are really caught onto that and they're getting in early and furnishing us with these cool collections and these hoodies and this kind of you know really pioneering the space and I think for other brands it's not quite as obvious as to how they can connect to the metaverse. And you know the art space has certainly drawn itself in it. I think it really kind of started with the art space and galleries and really artists actually pioneering and creating art as N. F. T. S. And I think yeah For other companies, it would just be finding a way into the space. And what limited inc does is allow that with connecting a physical product to that digital and finding that right root for them into the metal burst. Alright, lots of good stuff to marinate on there. That's Daryl kelly Ceo of limited inc. And congratulations again on that collaboration with Wrangler.