Vintage celebrates the storytelling of wear – the tag helps identify the origin. Scuffs, rips, and tears from war stories give personality. It's exciting to wear because, although we may not know its entire lore, we certainly contribute to writing the next chapter. So, why is digital wearables brand MNTGE trying to upcycle these old relics to web3 halfway into their use?
“With vintage, it’s traits, rarity, and provenance,” explains Nick Adler, co-founder of MNTGE. “My aspirational purchase was a Rolex. When I was finally able to buy it, the jeweler said ‘That piece of jewelry is valuable but the box and receipt, that’s where the real value is locked.’ 20 years later, watch prices are rising during the pandemic, and in my cabinet are the watch, box, and receipt. That resembled the [blockchain’s] ledger to me.”
“It’s not only upcycling, but more so vintage as a whole, that [we] felt was a perfect match for web3. It’s the same language, just a different medium, really,” says cofounder Sean Wotherspoon, echoing the parallels Adler noted as well.
The last time we chatted with the team, they were preparing to launch its first product, the MNTGE Pass: an NFT for exclusive access to digital and IRL vintage clothing. With Wotherspoon’s design credentials, fans across web3 and fashion were elated about the potential clothing collections it could hold.
In late April, the brand sold out of its Fruits & Veggies drop, the first of many vintage collections to come. Featuring custom-sourced Levi 505s with embroidery designs by Wotherspoon, the pants have an embedded NFC chip to tap for authenticity, enabling owners to claim the digital twin (a 3D-modeled version of the jeans).
Embedding clothing with NFC chips to put on the blockchain has been a popular trend lately, adopted by brands ranging from AMBUSH to independent upstarts. When deciding if vintage or new merchandise would be a better route, they decided on vintage because of their expertise in the field as a good first-to-market advantage. The team also believes it’s the future of fashion.
“I’ve gone to the same vintage store in Cincinnati, Ohio that is pretty well known for the past five to 10 years,” says co-founder Brennan Russo. “Every time I came back, there was less cool stuff… the Harley Davidson and concert shirts started going away. The last time I went, it was filled with 22-year-olds left and right. We started traveling around and seeing that ground swell of the next generation looking at vintage as a unique way to express themselves.”
Wotherspoon agrees that MNTGE has “succeeded in creating an immersive experience that allowed people to express a level of individuality that hasn’t been done before.”
Beyond the baseline products, the Fruits & Veggies collection also has utility for the web3 savvy and novice too.“If we want to reach you, we can airdrop you something. Or just show up wearing the jeans. You don’t have to be web3 savvy to get an amazing experience with us,” says Russo. When he explained to former fashion colleagues at Coachella how the jeans work, the non-web3 natives were impressed with the tap-to-verify NFC functionality.
“The spirit of what we’re trying to do is build a lifestyle brand where people want to wear the product,” adds Adler. Although that sounds obvious, creating a core offering that requires no technical knowledge or interest is crucial for bringing more people into web3.
For upcoming drops, the team is planning on continuing with “brands who have immense heritage and history,” as well as bringing on different artists to create vintage-esque items like pins and patches that have digital twins. It also has previewed a collection of vintage denim jackets due to launch this summer.
Adler also notes that music is going to play a prominent role in the near future of MNTGE, which includes private playlists, exclusive events, priority seating, and physical gifts. As he’s the brand manager for Snoop Dogg, expect the IRL activations to be top-tier (especially considering the rest of the team’s star-studded community, including MNTGE collectors like Larry June). The best part? As Russo says, you can just show up wearing some MNTGE gear to get in.
Although the first product of MNTGE was an NFT, the team is making itself known as a fashion brand. “Our goal is to build something that’s product first, then technology focused. How do we take the current experience and enhance it?” wonders Adler.
Perhaps that’s already the answer.
