This article was published on January 17 and updated on February 4
SUPERPLASTIC only just revealed its immense "HEADTRIPZ" NFT drop but the multimedia company is already getting into another digital collaboration, this time with luxury juggernaut Gucci.
SUPERGUCCI, the resulting NFT partnership, is a multi-pronged collection of digital and physical collectibles that'll begin rolling out on February 1 via SUPERPLASTIC's website and will be accessible through Gucci's Vault site (more on that later).
Before the general drop, SUPERPLASTIC is showing love to its own community with an early launch. Three styles of NFT limited to 50 apiece (for a grand total of 150 NFTs) plus an additional three unique NFTs will be available to SUPERPLASTIC NFT holders from 10 am EST on February 1.
An hour later, Gucci's Discord community will get access to the covetable digital collectibles.
By 12 pm EST, the SUPERGUCCI collection will be publicly available to all, with four variants offered in an edition of 50 apiece to create a complete collection of 200 NFTs total.
The three-part SUPERGUCCI series kicks off with ten unique NFTs each accompanied by a handmade Italian ceramic sculpture designed by both Gucci and SUPERPLASTIC, really underscoring the project's luxury inclinations.
Both promise that the goods combine trademark Gucci cues with SUPERPLASTIC's Janky and Guggimon characters.
If the stylized teaser images are anything to go off, think of SUPERPLASTIC's Janky toys but Gucci-patterned and topped off with a Gucci Aria cap and don't be surprised to see a generous helping of monograms.
As SUPERGUCCI goes live on February 1, the digital Gucci Vault will be unlocked with a sixth drop of vintage Gucci hand-picked by creative director Alessandro Michele and his team of in-house Gucci archivists, individually numbered, and shipped in "unique packaging."
This fits the SUPERGUCCI theme, in that the collaborative NFTs and ceramic figures are laden with iconography drawn from Gucci's history (the symbolic Gucci Vault). Here, old meets new in a very literal sense.
SUPERGUCCI isn't Gucci's first NFT rodeo, though. Last year, the house auctioned off an Aria NFT collection at prices that started at $20,000, making them the most expensive Gucci goods ever, Roblox Gucci purses aside.
The next two rounds of SUPERGUCCI are, like the NFT and ceramic toy designs themselves, still very much under wraps. However, expect more logomania'd crossovers and perhaps even some thematic Gucci wearables.
Considering the far-reaching nature of Gucci collaborations — recent partnerships include Microsoft Xbox, Hot Wheels, and The North Face — the SUPERPLASTIC team-up feels like the luxury brand only amplifying its already extensive world-building.
SUPERPLASTIC, meanwhile, is only legitimizing its cheeky creations by aligning with luxury labels like Gucci and celebrities like Paris Hilton. Of course, it's not forgetting its roots: SUPERPLASTIC's forthcoming Bored Ape Yacht Club collab feels like an extension of the toys it produced for digital-native band Gorillaz.
The SUPERGUCCI drop on February 1 ran into a snag after devious bots exploited the NFTs' smart contracts but SUPERPLASTIC aims to face the problem head-on.
SUPERPLASTIC tweeted out plans to shake up the bots by switching over to a raffle system on February 3 in a bid to create a fairer, if more random, NFT distribution scheme.
Another unfortunate issue reared its head when scam links appeared in SUPERPLASTIC's Discord. To say the least, this launch has been as challenging as it is high-profile.
