Issue #095

Welcome to your weekly dose of TooXToo, this week featuring Selfridges selling NFT’s in-store, Corona’s Vitamin D beer, Netflix & CALM’s park benches, and Francis Bourgeois’ debut in the North Face and Gucci ad…

Selfridges sells NFT’s in store

Selfridges have begun selling NFT’s at their Oxford Street store in a bid to intermingle digital fashion with brick-and-mortar shopping. The NFT’s are launching as part of a pop-up in collaboration with artist Victor Vasarely, and designer Paco Rabanne.

 

The NFT’s will be purchasable via digital screens using a regular credit card, making the process as accessible as possible to prevent the disruption of the real-life shopping experience. Between 28^th January and the 12^th of March- at least 1,800 luxury NFT’s are expected to be sold. Prices are said to range from £2,000 to over £10,000, and the collection will include digital versions of the prolific first ever dresses designed by Paco Rabanne.

Selfridges’ new venture into the realm of NFT’s aims to welcome consumers into this new space in an accessible way. Jason Attard, founder and CEO of Substance, the NFT platform that worked with Selfridges on this project, commented: “If you remove the words ‘NFT’, ‘crypto’ and ‘blockchain,’ you just have the experience. Even when you pay at a normal till, you also don’t know how it operates”.

The NFT project will also include a metaverse experience that will be available through the Selfridges website, and virtual world Decentraland at the end of January. This meta-experience will allow consumers to “interact with Vasarely-inspired patterns”.

Next time you are passing by, why not tap your card in exchange for the consumer goods of the future?

Corona’s vitamin D beer

Beverage giant Corona have unveiled a new drink- set to be particularly popular with those consumers committing to ‘Dry January’. Not only does this beer target the sober curious, but it will also appeal to those who are feeling deprived of sunshine. Corona Sunbrew has made its first debut in Canada, and consumers are going crazy for this non-alcoholic, vitamin D infused beer.

Corona’s 0% alcohol beer is taglined 'Sunshine, anytime' due to each bottle being fortified with 30% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin D. Corona are capitalising on the trend led by millennials and Gen Z-ers committing to what has been nicknamed 'drysolation' during the pandemic. Crucially, 'Buzz-less spirits' – which corona sunbrew comes under, have been listed in the Whole Foods' top 10 food trends for 2022.

What makes Corona different from other drinks appealing to the sober consumer is the addition of vitamin D. This addition means corona can create a two-fold attraction between mindful drinkers and health-focused consumers.

Don’t worry - you will be able to get your hands on this teetotal tipple soon as Corona Sunbrew will be rolled out in the UK and other major markets in Europe, South America, and Asia later this year. Even through the cold, wintry months this beverage will allow you to experience "Sunshine, Anytime"…

Netflix & CALM’s park benches

Netflix and mental health charity, CALM have collaborated to help people fight personal struggles in everyday life. Ricky Gervais has joined the campaign, unveiling the ‘After Life’ park benches. Netflix series Afterlife’s’ caring ethos has been extended with the donation of these 25 park benches to parks across the UK- including six in London.

Each of the park benches will feature a QR code that, when scanned will take direct users to messages of support as well as online resources where they can get help, support, or advice. The benches will also be engraved with a key message from Afterlife: ‘Hope is Everything’. The benches that have been donated in London can be located in Parliament Hill, Highgate Wood, Queen’s Park, Ravenscourt Park, York House Gardens in Richmond, and the Rookery Gardens in Streatham. 

The benches are inspired by Gervais’ character in After life-Tony, who in the show is regularly seen sitting on the bench, in his local graveyard, to confide in the other characters in Afterlife, following the death of his wife, Lisa.

Simon Gunning, CALM CEO explained that these “Park benches provide opportunities to reflect, talk to someone, sit shoulder to shoulder with someone and get things off your chest”. Adding to this, Ricky Gervais commented: “We hope the benches will become a place for people to visit, and we are thrilled to be associated with CALM and the great work they do”.

This collaboration has encouraged reflection through raising awareness of mental health in popular culture and real-life. Creating conversations around personal struggles normalises speaking out and getting help. This move from Netflix to confront the reluctance by many to source support, is profound and encouraging from the world of TV and media.

Francis Bourgeois in The North Face and Gucci ad

From Tiktok to luxury fashion… Francis Bourgeois’ name has been re-defined in popular culture. He began as a trainspotter, creating content for Tiktok that quickly became popular accruing him 2.1 million followers during the pandemic.

Now this trainspotting ‘tiktokker’ has featured in a North Face and Gucci advert. The exclusive video was shared by Highsnobiety on Monday (January 17) in which Bourgeois acts as a train conductor, checking people’s tickets, and making announcements to the passengers who are dressed in the Gucci x The North Face garments.

Highsnobiety commented on their Instagram regarding the advert: “With the bold collection focusing on exploration and outdoor activities, there’s no one better than bourgeois to bring it all to life”…

It is safe to say, this ad collaboration has been massively successful for both the brands and Bourgeois himself. The video went viral, with one twitter fan commenting: “The way this man has secured the bag is inspirational”.

Well, who would have thought what started out as a pandemic hobby, could lead to this kind of internet fame