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There's no better way to mark the occasion than with good food — and lots of it. Here's our pick of the best Chinese New Year luxury puddings and treats.

With the start of the new lunar year just around the corner, stock up on the best desserts on offer. Turnip puddings (also called radish cakes) are traditional Chinese dim sum snacks, commonly served in Cantonese yum cha. Don't underestimate the small dish — in Cantonese, its name “leen goh” or “loh bak goh” is a homophone for “year higher”, ushering in new heights of prosperity for the coming year.

And we adore the Chinese New Year chuen hup, or traditional candy box, portion of the holiday. A bright red circular box set enticingly open upon coffee tables, filled with all kinds of sweet and savoury treats — it's a time-honoured custom, along with the coconut and turnip puddings. Each neat little segment houses a treat with an auspicious meaning of its own: lotus seeds are symbolic signs of improved fertility; lotus root, of love; tangerines and kumquats sound phonetically similar to "gold"; melon seeds to money and wealth. Chocolate coins, well, are coins.

To celebrate new beginnings and the new year, we've compiled the best Chinese New Year luxury puddings and treats for you and your loved ones to welcome the Year of the Tiger with.

The Best Chinese New Year Luxury Puddings and Treats

China Tang

China Tang's artisan Chinese New Year puddings are a modern take on the classic recipe, serving up two whole new flavours to welcome the Year of the Tiger: a turnip pudding with dried tiger prawn and local preserved meat and a handmade rice pudding with Taiwanese brown sugar and purple rice. Both are crafted by executive chef Menex Cheung and dim sum chef Mok Wing Kwai, and come in these stunning gift boxes decorated with China Tang’s signature Narcissus pattern — symbolizing grace and fortune. You can order the puddings and pick them up from the restaurant.

China Tang Landmark, Shop 411-413, 4/F, LANDMARK ATRIUM, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central; +852 2522 2148

Duddell’s

Michelin-starred Duddell's selection of Chinese New Year puddings is a trio of classic favourite flavours: turnip (HK$348), taro (HK$348) and a "New Year" Pudding (HK$298). Pick up one, all three, or a gift set including the restaurant's signature X.O. Sauce. It's all packaged in a specially designed gift box created in collaboration with G.O.D. (Goods of Desire), with an ornate hand-drawn pattern typical of the embellishments found on Chinese teacups and soup bowls, a nod to its Hong Kong heritage. You can purchase at the restaurant or order online for delivery — find out more here.

We also love the look of the "Prosperous New Year Hamper", stocked with six traditional delicacies: a new year pudding; braised South African 5 head abalone with Duddell’s Abalone Sauce; a signature X.O. Sauce; homemade walnut cookies; Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Yellow Label Brut, Champagne; and Fook Ming Tong Fuding Jasmine Mao Feng Tea.

Duddell’s, 1 Duddell Street, Central; +852 2525 9191

Godiva

To no one's surprise, it's all about the chocolates at Godiva. The Belgian chocolatier has drawn up a new motif for the Year of the Tiger, auspicious red and gold packaging printed with swimming koi and a tiger portrait set amongst crackling fireworks as a symbolic image of wealth. For the chocolates, the bijou creations feature the same lucky tiger motif over the surface and are packed in three distinct flavours: Raspberry Orange White chocolate, Pecan Praliné Milk chocolate and 85% Dark Ganache chocolate. Order before 31 January to enjoy special offers including free gifts, including a complimentary box of chocolates, or 10% off any purchase of HK$688. Find out more and order here.

Godiva, various locations across Hong Kong

Little Bao

Little Bao is paying tribute to lucky colour red with a beetroot turnip cake, replacing turnip with fresh beetroot for a natural bold red cake. Ingredients include Sam Hing Lung rose wine sausages, Thai dried shrimp and natural seasoning for extra-healthy eating. You can also opt for the taro cake, made with Okinawan sweet potato and fresh taro for an extra soft and pillowy texture, and also to help boost the immune system. You can order them and more here.

Little Bao, 1-3 Shin Hing Street, Central; +852 6794 8414

Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel

Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel is celebrating the new lunar year with traditional Chinese recipes, serving up three classic puddings — a savoury Chinese Turnip Cake with Conpoy made from Chinese sausage and Jinhua ham; a sweet Coconut Pudding with Gold Leaf decorated with golden leaf glutinous rice and coconut milk; and a Water Chestnut Cake filled with crunchy water chestnut pieces. Bottles of homemade XO Chilli Sauce are also available to order. You can find out more here.

Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel, No. 3 Canton Road, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; +852 2118 7283

Ming Court

Located inside Cordis, Michelin-starred Ming Court is offering an array of festive treats to ring in the Lunar New Year. Executive Chef Li Yuet Faat has prepared three auspicious puddings: a coconut Chinese New Year Pudding; an abalone, conpoy, and air-dried preserved meat and turnip pudding; and a red date and coconut pudding. Go for the deluxe Chinese New Year hamper, with a coconut pudding, homemade XO sauce, South African premium 12 head abalone and more. You can order it here.

Ming Court, Level 6, 555 Shanghai Street, Cordis, Mong Kok, Kowloon; +852 3552 3301 

Rosewood Hong Kong

Rosewood Hong Kong is offering an array of Chinese New Year sets for gifting, featuring everything from traditional puddings to homemade XO sauce, festive candies, afternoon tea sets and more. Don't miss the well-wishes themed hampers: Harvest (HK$9,988), Fortune (HK$3,388), and Joy (HK$2,288) — for every CNY hamper purchased, Rosewood will donate 5% of the proceeds to support ImpactHK and their work to support those experiencing homelessness in Hong Kong. Find out more here.

We also love the clever Chinese New Year advent calendar from Rosewood — rather than counting down, you count on from the first day of the lunar calendar into the new Year of the Tiger. The whole set holds 15 special treats from the hotel, one for each day of the Chinese traditional holiday that lasts for two weeks. Tug open the jewel-toned drawers to discover a selection of delicious snacks from fortune cookies and egg rolls to XO sauce, palmiers, nougats, ginger candies and crunchy peanut bites. Much better than your usual melon seeds. You can order it here.

Rosewood Hong Kong, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, +852 3891 8732

Paul Lafayet

No crème brulée from Paul Lafayet this Chinese New Year. What you can get, though, is the patisserie's Lucky Tiger Gift Box with French illustrator Emilie Sarnel's hand drawing of two dancing tigers. The gift box set pulls open to reveal three different tiers featuring a whole afternoon experience: “Cookirons" — a cookie-based iteration of the brand's famous macaron; jasmine and hojicha tea tins with pots of honey in the second and a special fine bone china porcelain dish at the base to hold it all. The plate is specially tailored to the Year of the Tiger, featuring a sketch of two smiling tigers amongst a flowery meadow filled with macarons. You can order it online here.

Paul Lafayet, various locations across Hong Kong

Saicho

So this might not fit into traditional Chinese candy boxes, but it will still sit very prettily amongst red-adorned decor around the home. For the Year of the Tiger, Saicho has launched a very special creation of only 900 bottles — Eight Immortals — featuring the special Dan Cong Oolong tea grown atop Phoenix Mountain's Tian Liao village in Guangdong. From harvest to roast and rolling, the Dan Cong Oolong leaves are looked after by a qualified tea master. The result is a fragrant blend that adheres to the leaves' distinct complexity: bright notes of ginger mango and tangerine that rounds into a bitterness, then herbal, the likes of anise, fennel and tarragon. With Eight Immortals' earthy savouriness, Saicho recommends pairing with traditional Chinese New Year dishes including Chinese steamed fish and tang yang (glutinous rice dumplings). You can shop Saicho's Chinese New Year selection here.

Smith & Sinclair

Candy box fillings will be extra exciting with the addition of Smith & Sinclair treats, they're made after your favourite tipples! The UK-based brand crafts vegan-friendly gummies — or "Edible Cocktails" — from anything, including classic Gin & Tonic to special concoctions like Passionfruit Mojito. For the Year of the Tiger, the brand has designed a special red, tiger-printed sleeve as a symbol of good luck and fortune. These can be fitted over any of Smith & Sinclair's nine signature sets, from spirit-based "Gin Obsessed" or "Tequila Time" to themed "Love Box" or "Night In". You can order and find out more here.

Sugarfina

Sugarfina's candy cubes are a delight, both to give and receive. For this Chinese New Year, the confectioner has crafted a series of Candy Bento Boxes for easy gifting (and enjoying!) — with anything from a single cube to a lucky set of eight, featuring the brand's sweet creations in fun, auspicious names. There's the Lotus Flowers flavoured with lychee, Tangerine Bears, berried-flavoured Royal Roses and Golden Pearls. If not for the sweets within, get this set for the beautifully artistic packaging: a hand-crafted shadow box of red and gold decor motifs of lanterns, flowers and a temple to mark new beginnings.

Sugarfina, various locations across Hong Kong

The Peninsula Boutique & Café

One of the traditional elements of the Year of the Tiger is the big cat's head, symbolising strength and good health. Inspired by traditional Chinese "tiger head shoes" worn by children, the Peninsula Boutique & Café is celebrating the new year with plenty of tiger head-decorated gift sets — you can hang the box up as a Chinese New Year decoration! Pick up the festive "Robust Tiger Gift Set" (with cookies, candies, chocolate, tea and more), and any of the Chinese New Year puddings. You can find out more here.

The Peninsula Boutique & Café, The Peninsula Arcade, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; +852 2696 6969

Venchi

You may be spoilt for choice with Venchi's range of Chinese New Year gift boxes, but one thing's for sure: the range of lucky red and gold packaging all feature the Italian brand's signature 140-years, Piedmont Master Chocolatiers-approved sweets. Pick up The Chinese New Year Double Layer Hexagon Gift Box, an extensive collection of the brand's favourite chocolates: Cremini, Chocoviar, Truffles, and Dubledoni. Or consider the Chinese New Year Round Hamper, which features Venchi's latest creation Gianduja N.3 with Hazelnut, and is a close replica of the traditional chuen hup with the rounded exterior and organised sections within.

Venchi, various locations across Hong Kong

Yat Tung Heen

Led by celebrated chef Tam Tung, Michelin-starred Yat Tung Heen is celebrating the new year by bringing back its highly sought-after turnip pudding, classic Chinese New Year pudding and the restaurant's signature gift box (which includes housemade premium XO sauce, candied walnuts and hand-selected Ginseng Oolong tea leaves). And to minimise the environmental impact of the gifting season, each pudding is thoughtfully packaged in a 100% recyclable eco-friendly paper box. You can find out more here.

Yat Tung Heen, Level B2, Eaton HK, 380 Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, +852 2710 1093

Ying Jee Club

Two Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Ying Jee Club is serving the finest delectable pastry duo, a savoury turnip pudding with conpoy and air-dried meat and a sweet coconut milk pudding with red bean and Ceylon tea. Both are handcrafted daily by executive chef Siu Hin-Chi, who has amassed 20 Michelin stars over the past decade alone — rest assured, the preservative-free puddings epitomise the highest standard of Cantonese cuisine in both texture and flavour. You can order in-person at the restaurant, or by calling 2801 6882 or emailing reservation@yingjeeclub.hk — find out more here.

Ying Jee Club, Shop G05, 107 & 108, Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road Central; +852 2801 6882

(Hero image courtesy of Yat Tung Heen, featured image courtesy of Duddell's, image 1 courtesy of China Tang)

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As such, the British Museum is pursuing its collaboration with the French start-up LaCollection to produce NFT versions of some of its artworks. After a first initiative dedicated to the Japanese painter Hokusai, the British institution is now turning to the works of William Turner.

The post The British Museum is launching more NFTs appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

There's no better way to mark the occasion than with good food — and lots of it. Here's our pick of the best Chinese New Year luxury puddings and treats.

With the start of the new lunar year just around the corner, stock up on the best desserts on offer. Turnip puddings (also called radish cakes) are traditional Chinese dim sum snacks, commonly served in Cantonese yum cha. Don't underestimate the small dish — in Cantonese, its name “leen goh” or “loh bak goh” is a homophone for “year higher”, ushering in new heights of prosperity for the coming year.

And we adore the Chinese New Year chuen hup, or traditional candy box, portion of the holiday. A bright red circular box set enticingly open upon coffee tables, filled with all kinds of sweet and savoury treats — it's a time-honoured custom, along with the coconut and turnip puddings. Each neat little segment houses a treat with an auspicious meaning of its own: lotus seeds are symbolic signs of improved fertility; lotus root, of love; tangerines and kumquats sound phonetically similar to "gold"; melon seeds to money and wealth. Chocolate coins, well, are coins.

To celebrate new beginnings and the new year, we've compiled the best Chinese New Year luxury puddings and treats for you and your loved ones to welcome the Year of the Tiger with.

The Best Chinese New Year Luxury Puddings and Treats

China Tang

China Tang's artisan Chinese New Year puddings are a modern take on the classic recipe, serving up two whole new flavours to welcome the Year of the Tiger: a turnip pudding with dried tiger prawn and local preserved meat and a handmade rice pudding with Taiwanese brown sugar and purple rice. Both are crafted by executive chef Menex Cheung and dim sum chef Mok Wing Kwai, and come in these stunning gift boxes decorated with China Tang’s signature Narcissus pattern — symbolizing grace and fortune. You can order the puddings and pick them up from the restaurant.

China Tang Landmark, Shop 411-413, 4/F, LANDMARK ATRIUM, 15 Queen’s Road Central, Central; +852 2522 2148

Duddell’s

Michelin-starred Duddell's selection of Chinese New Year puddings is a trio of classic favourite flavours: turnip (HK$348), taro (HK$348) and a "New Year" Pudding (HK$298). Pick up one, all three, or a gift set including the restaurant's signature X.O. Sauce. It's all packaged in a specially designed gift box created in collaboration with G.O.D. (Goods of Desire), with an ornate hand-drawn pattern typical of the embellishments found on Chinese teacups and soup bowls, a nod to its Hong Kong heritage. You can purchase at the restaurant or order online for delivery — find out more here.

We also love the look of the "Prosperous New Year Hamper", stocked with six traditional delicacies: a new year pudding; braised South African 5 head abalone with Duddell’s Abalone Sauce; a signature X.O. Sauce; homemade walnut cookies; Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, Yellow Label Brut, Champagne; and Fook Ming Tong Fuding Jasmine Mao Feng Tea.

Duddell’s, 1 Duddell Street, Central; +852 2525 9191

Godiva

To no one's surprise, it's all about the chocolates at Godiva. The Belgian chocolatier has drawn up a new motif for the Year of the Tiger, auspicious red and gold packaging printed with swimming koi and a tiger portrait set amongst crackling fireworks as a symbolic image of wealth. For the chocolates, the bijou creations feature the same lucky tiger motif over the surface and are packed in three distinct flavours: Raspberry Orange White chocolate, Pecan Praliné Milk chocolate and 85% Dark Ganache chocolate. Order before 31 January to enjoy special offers including free gifts, including a complimentary box of chocolates, or 10% off any purchase of HK$688. Find out more and order here.

Godiva, various locations across Hong Kong

Little Bao

Little Bao is paying tribute to lucky colour red with a beetroot turnip cake, replacing turnip with fresh beetroot for a natural bold red cake. Ingredients include Sam Hing Lung rose wine sausages, Thai dried shrimp and natural seasoning for extra-healthy eating. You can also opt for the taro cake, made with Okinawan sweet potato and fresh taro for an extra soft and pillowy texture, and also to help boost the immune system. You can order them and more here.

Little Bao, 1-3 Shin Hing Street, Central; +852 6794 8414

Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel

Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel is celebrating the new lunar year with traditional Chinese recipes, serving up three classic puddings — a savoury Chinese Turnip Cake with Conpoy made from Chinese sausage and Jinhua ham; a sweet Coconut Pudding with Gold Leaf decorated with golden leaf glutinous rice and coconut milk; and a Water Chestnut Cake filled with crunchy water chestnut pieces. Bottles of homemade XO Chilli Sauce are also available to order. You can find out more here.

Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel, No. 3 Canton Road, Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; +852 2118 7283

Ming Court

Located inside Cordis, Michelin-starred Ming Court is offering an array of festive treats to ring in the Lunar New Year. Executive Chef Li Yuet Faat has prepared three auspicious puddings: a coconut Chinese New Year Pudding; an abalone, conpoy, and air-dried preserved meat and turnip pudding; and a red date and coconut pudding. Go for the deluxe Chinese New Year hamper, with a coconut pudding, homemade XO sauce, South African premium 12 head abalone and more. You can order it here.

Ming Court, Level 6, 555 Shanghai Street, Cordis, Mong Kok, Kowloon; +852 3552 3301 

Rosewood Hong Kong

Rosewood Hong Kong is offering an array of Chinese New Year sets for gifting, featuring everything from traditional puddings to homemade XO sauce, festive candies, afternoon tea sets and more. Don't miss the well-wishes themed hampers: Harvest (HK$9,988), Fortune (HK$3,388), and Joy (HK$2,288) — for every CNY hamper purchased, Rosewood will donate 5% of the proceeds to support ImpactHK and their work to support those experiencing homelessness in Hong Kong. Find out more here.

We also love the clever Chinese New Year advent calendar from Rosewood — rather than counting down, you count on from the first day of the lunar calendar into the new Year of the Tiger. The whole set holds 15 special treats from the hotel, one for each day of the Chinese traditional holiday that lasts for two weeks. Tug open the jewel-toned drawers to discover a selection of delicious snacks from fortune cookies and egg rolls to XO sauce, palmiers, nougats, ginger candies and crunchy peanut bites. Much better than your usual melon seeds. You can order it here.

Rosewood Hong Kong, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, +852 3891 8732

Paul Lafayet

No crème brulée from Paul Lafayet this Chinese New Year. What you can get, though, is the patisserie's Lucky Tiger Gift Box with French illustrator Emilie Sarnel's hand drawing of two dancing tigers. The gift box set pulls open to reveal three different tiers featuring a whole afternoon experience: “Cookirons" — a cookie-based iteration of the brand's famous macaron; jasmine and hojicha tea tins with pots of honey in the second and a special fine bone china porcelain dish at the base to hold it all. The plate is specially tailored to the Year of the Tiger, featuring a sketch of two smiling tigers amongst a flowery meadow filled with macarons. You can order it online here.

Paul Lafayet, various locations across Hong Kong

Saicho

So this might not fit into traditional Chinese candy boxes, but it will still sit very prettily amongst red-adorned decor around the home. For the Year of the Tiger, Saicho has launched a very special creation of only 900 bottles — Eight Immortals — featuring the special Dan Cong Oolong tea grown atop Phoenix Mountain's Tian Liao village in Guangdong. From harvest to roast and rolling, the Dan Cong Oolong leaves are looked after by a qualified tea master. The result is a fragrant blend that adheres to the leaves' distinct complexity: bright notes of ginger mango and tangerine that rounds into a bitterness, then herbal, the likes of anise, fennel and tarragon. With Eight Immortals' earthy savouriness, Saicho recommends pairing with traditional Chinese New Year dishes including Chinese steamed fish and tang yang (glutinous rice dumplings). You can shop Saicho's Chinese New Year selection here.

Smith & Sinclair

Candy box fillings will be extra exciting with the addition of Smith & Sinclair treats, they're made after your favourite tipples! The UK-based brand crafts vegan-friendly gummies — or "Edible Cocktails" — from anything, including classic Gin & Tonic to special concoctions like Passionfruit Mojito. For the Year of the Tiger, the brand has designed a special red, tiger-printed sleeve as a symbol of good luck and fortune. These can be fitted over any of Smith & Sinclair's nine signature sets, from spirit-based "Gin Obsessed" or "Tequila Time" to themed "Love Box" or "Night In". You can order and find out more here.

Sugarfina

Sugarfina's candy cubes are a delight, both to give and receive. For this Chinese New Year, the confectioner has crafted a series of Candy Bento Boxes for easy gifting (and enjoying!) — with anything from a single cube to a lucky set of eight, featuring the brand's sweet creations in fun, auspicious names. There's the Lotus Flowers flavoured with lychee, Tangerine Bears, berried-flavoured Royal Roses and Golden Pearls. If not for the sweets within, get this set for the beautifully artistic packaging: a hand-crafted shadow box of red and gold decor motifs of lanterns, flowers and a temple to mark new beginnings.

Sugarfina, various locations across Hong Kong

The Peninsula Boutique & Café

One of the traditional elements of the Year of the Tiger is the big cat's head, symbolising strength and good health. Inspired by traditional Chinese "tiger head shoes" worn by children, the Peninsula Boutique & Café is celebrating the new year with plenty of tiger head-decorated gift sets — you can hang the box up as a Chinese New Year decoration! Pick up the festive "Robust Tiger Gift Set" (with cookies, candies, chocolate, tea and more), and any of the Chinese New Year puddings. You can find out more here.

The Peninsula Boutique & Café, The Peninsula Arcade, Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; +852 2696 6969

Venchi

You may be spoilt for choice with Venchi's range of Chinese New Year gift boxes, but one thing's for sure: the range of lucky red and gold packaging all feature the Italian brand's signature 140-years, Piedmont Master Chocolatiers-approved sweets. Pick up The Chinese New Year Double Layer Hexagon Gift Box, an extensive collection of the brand's favourite chocolates: Cremini, Chocoviar, Truffles, and Dubledoni. Or consider the Chinese New Year Round Hamper, which features Venchi's latest creation Gianduja N.3 with Hazelnut, and is a close replica of the traditional chuen hup with the rounded exterior and organised sections within.

Venchi, various locations across Hong Kong

Yat Tung Heen

Led by celebrated chef Tam Tung, Michelin-starred Yat Tung Heen is celebrating the new year by bringing back its highly sought-after turnip pudding, classic Chinese New Year pudding and the restaurant's signature gift box (which includes housemade premium XO sauce, candied walnuts and hand-selected Ginseng Oolong tea leaves). And to minimise the environmental impact of the gifting season, each pudding is thoughtfully packaged in a 100% recyclable eco-friendly paper box. You can find out more here.

Yat Tung Heen, Level B2, Eaton HK, 380 Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, +852 2710 1093

Ying Jee Club

Two Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Ying Jee Club is serving the finest delectable pastry duo, a savoury turnip pudding with conpoy and air-dried meat and a sweet coconut milk pudding with red bean and Ceylon tea. Both are handcrafted daily by executive chef Siu Hin-Chi, who has amassed 20 Michelin stars over the past decade alone — rest assured, the preservative-free puddings epitomise the highest standard of Cantonese cuisine in both texture and flavour. You can order in-person at the restaurant, or by calling 2801 6882 or emailing reservation@yingjeeclub.hk — find out more here.

Ying Jee Club, Shop G05, 107 & 108, Nexxus Building, 41 Connaught Road Central; +852 2801 6882

(Hero image courtesy of Yat Tung Heen, featured image courtesy of Duddell's, image 1 courtesy of China Tang)

The post 7 of the Most Popular NFT Projects to Know About appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

The hype around NFTs took off in 2021 and doesn't show any signs of slowing in 2022. Here are some of the noteworthy celebrities that have dipped their hand into the NFT pool.

You can't escape it: Every day, someone is talking about NFTs, the Metaverse or why cryptocurrency is the future of money. And since the release of Bored Ape Yacht Club, CryptoPunks and other recognisable NFTs, the digital art world has grown tremendously.

Whether they're your co-worker, a family member or a global superstar like Leo Messi, it seems like everyone, everywhere is jumping onto the trend. Even K-pop supergroup BTS is rumoured to be launching their own. In Hong Kong and around the globe, here are some of the biggest celebrities who have climbed aboard the NFT hype train.

Celebrities who have entered the NFT world

Shawn Yue Man-lok

Hong Kong actor and singer Shawn Yue Man-lok entered into the NFT world through a collaboration with Christie’s. The former model has been building his personal collection and showcased them in an online auction in September 2021. The collection included highly sought-after NFT pieces from Bored Ape Yacht Club, Cryptopunks and Meebits. On the big day, Yue celebrated his 40th birthday as well as raised revenue to be donated to Make-a-Wish Hong Kong foundation.

Justin Bieber

If, like millions of others, you follow Justin Bieber on Instagram, you’ll probably have seen his collection of NFTs, especially of inBetweeners; Biebs has shown his love for the variety of colourful bear illustrations. The recently minted collection of 10,777 images created by artist Gianpiero, inBetweeners has also seen lots of love from other celebrities, including Tom Holland and Snoop Dogg. 

Steph Curry

Not only have NFTs caught the attention of artists, they have also attracted numerous athletes. Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry personally released a collection of 2,974 NFTs, each priced at US$333. Curry’s collection features digital replicas of his shoe-line, Genesis Curry Flows, showcasing the exact pairs he wore for his incredible on-court feats. With the collection already sold out, the virtual sneakers promise his fans to use and show them off across multiple metaverses and virtual games.

Gunna

Atlanta rapper Gunna is the latest in the rap scene to purchase his own unique BAYC NFT. Revealing his purchase and tattoo process on Instagram, Gunna posted a video of how he did it through the cryptocurrency MoonPay, for US$300,000. His love for the digital art piece goes deep enough that he named the green-sunglassed Bored Ape “Butta” — he even got it tattooed on his calf.

Lionel Messi

Metaverse? More like Messiverse. The man who many call “the best footballer in the word”, Lionel Messi launched his NFT collection in August 2021. The collection featured three digital art pieces: "Man from the Future", "Worth the Weight" and "The King Piece", all created by artist BossLogic and depicting historic moments from the footballer's career. His star fame was on display as the NFTs’ sales spiked to US $3.4 million on the first day of the launch.

Jimmy Fallon

Celebrity and Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon has been part of the NFT clan for a while. Fallon took to Twitter to share the latest addition to his collection, a simple Bored Ape, dressed in what appears to be a sailor’s outfit. The NFT was purchased for just over US$225,000.

Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg stepped into the NFT space with an introduction of his collection called “A Journey with the Dogg”. The collection is expected to include a path down the rapper’s experiences and greatest memories — think quotes and moments captured in pictures. It also features an original track titled “NFT”, and a Dogecoin-inspired cryptocurrency, “Snoop Dogge Coins”. The artist expressed his passion for the launch, saying “I’ve seen the game change over the years from analog to digital, and I’m always happier when the technology lets the fans connect with the artists. NFTs are an amazing innovation, and it is an honor to do my first drop with Crypto.com/NFT.”

Hero image courtesy of Sebastien Muylaert/Getty Images, featured image courtesy of @leomessi

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Mighty Jaxx is known for its limited-edition collectibles. Still, founder and CEO Jackson Aw has a bigger ambition: building a future-proof company.

The post Why Mighty Jaxx’s Jackson Aw believes the future is culture appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

The late world-famous martial artist and actor Bruce Lee is being commemorated in the form of NFTs. ‘The Formless Form,’ the first NFT collection based on Lee, will launch on 8 January 2022 by Ethernity in association with the Bruce Lee Family Company.

Here’s all we know about Bruce Lee’s NFT collection

What does the NFT include?

According to Ethernity’s press statement, the idea behind this collection is to “commemorate the life and legacy of the martial arts pioneer, philosopher, and global action film star.”

Ethernity took to social media to announce the news, revealing the collection is based on Lee’s philosophy and life teachings.

“One’s mind, body, and spirit must work together in harmonious interplay. Introducing 'The Formless Form', the exclusive @BruceLee x @Ethernity #NFT collection is coming January 8th. (sic)” the post read.

The artwork of the awaited NFT collection is created by artists Raf Grassetti, BossLogic and Anthony Francisco.

Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee, who is the chairperson and CEO of the Bruce Lee Family Company, said, “My father believed in honest self expression. We’re honoured for the opportunity to collaborate with these extremely talented artists whose artistic expressions will help continue to spread the positive message of Bruce Lee’s philosophy and teachings to the world in an authentic way.”

This is not the first time that an artist who has passed away is being commemorated in the form of NFTs. In April 2021, the last photoshoot of Nirvana’s frontman Kurt Cobain was converted into NFTs.

In July 2021, Grateful Dead’s guitarist Jerry Garcia’s art was transformed into NFTs by the Jerry Garcia Foundation. Similarly, Muhammad Ali Enterprises joined hands with Ethernity to launch the first Muhammad Ali NFT collection.

CEO and founder of Ethernity, Nick Ross, said that they were extremely excited for the Lee project, adding, “We thrive off exploring opportunities for newly expanded worlds of important individuals, and an incredibly influential figure like Bruce Lee is a perfect fit for our great ambitions and endeavours.”

(Main and Feature Image Credit: @anthony_francisco_art./ethernity/Instagram)

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We explore the rise of fashion NFTs, and the possibilities of digital wardrobes and blockchain style.

The final auction price for Dolce & Gabbana’s inaugural NFT collection edged towards US$6 million last September. The nine-piece digital-garment tech drop on the USXD marketplace was bought using the cryptocurrency Ethereum, and included pieces such as the Glass Suit and “Doge” Crown. The Italian fashion label, known for its love of heritage, broke records for digital fashion – and, once again, the non-fungible token (NFT) was catapulted into the limelight.

The NFT has been a hottest topic recently and its biggest champions argue that fashion NFTs represent the next evolutionary step, whether it’s digital fashion skins for avatars or wardrobe collectables that can be used in gaming and multiple metaverses. The likes of Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Balenciaga have already dipped their toes in, often partnering with popular games like Fortnite. Gucci marked its 100th anniversary by selling its landmark Aria NFT collection for US$25,000 at Christie’s in June. In a move that signals the social-media giant’s future direction, the Facebook group has changed its name to Meta (as in Metaverse).

Limited NFT digital assets have their ownership recorded on blockchain (digital leger) and the possibilities have recently boomed in the creative and artistic industries. There was artist Beeple’s record-breaking US$69 million NFT piece auctioned off at Sotheby’s, and the ground-breaking development of the NBA Topshots sports platform, where official licensed digital Moments (such as key scores) in NBA games can be traded, with some sales reaching as high as US$100,000. These are marketed as much like old-school sports playing cards, but for the digital world. Yahoo launched an NFT collection with American fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff, while the Karl Lagerfeld label announced a NFT capsule of digital figurines. 

Hong Kong has emerged as an Asian hotspot for NFT innovation, with the likes of the Hong Kong Sovereign Art Foundation and Project Ark holding art auctions featuring local artists. The locally based KLTKN mints and sells NFTs by J-pop and K-pop stars to their adoring fanbase and also takes payment in fiat currency.

In the NFT fashion space, Hong Kong-based Brand New Vision (BNV), founded by Richard Hobbs, stepped boldly into the space, minting and dropping costume designer Jack Irving’s famous Prismatic dress in December 2021, on top of Trek Sneaker by Passport Adv and a Super Being outfit by Chill Create NFTs earlier this year. A collaboration with menswear tailoring retailer The Armoury is even under development.

“We’re positioning ourselves as the Dover Street market of the Metaverse,” say Hobbs. “And the curation will take a similar attitude, in the sense that in Dover Street you can get everything from Comme des Garcons, to jewellery and skate-brand T-shirts to an Iris Van Herpen dress. It’s eclectic and well curated, which is what brands want. They want to know that if they go into the Metaverse, they want to go somewhere that feels a bit safe.”

Hobbs is a veteran fashion professional with more than 30 years’ experience in the industry, predominantly in menswear and street-fashion retail and distribution. He started BNV in 2016, first focusing on 3D-image capture and technology for fashion. But by 2020 he was looking deeper into digital fashion and the NFT world. In March that year he’d secured the first round of investment, including a major injection from Animoca Brands in Hong Kong, “which has gone on to become probably the single biggest investor in anything to do with NFTs on blockchain and gaming … We launched at the end of March 2020, but very low key at first.”

As well as designing and minting NFTs, BNV can also provide a dedicated platform on which to trade them and has evolved into a fund that will invest in the space and its collaterals. There was the release of the Blunt Dress NFT, based on the custom-made item by designer Jawara Alleyne for Rihanna in her Dazed magazine shoot – on the day we spoke over Zoom, Hobbs told me one of the 15 minted had just sold for about US$1,000 on the secondary market. BNV’s work with American street-fashion label Mishka NYC has seen NFTs coming with lucky draws and VIP discount codes for the physical fashions, as well as winning pieces of hand-signed art by the designer.

“So the other part of it is community, actually getting people engaged and endorsing the feeling they’re part of something more than just a buyer-seller relationship,” says Hobbs. That multi-faceted approach is also what Wear, the Hong Kong-based NFT fashion company founded by Parson’ graduate Nick Lau, is looking to achieve.

Of its first drop this month, Lau explains “it will be a collaboration between local eyewear brand called A Society and local street artist Lousy … We’ll have different iterations of different elements of the limited-edition designs, and perhaps the top 5 percent of NFTs sold would be the rarest editions – and customers will also get a physical copy of that pair of glasses … So we’re playing around with digital products and real-life compensation.”

The lucky-draw aspect of fashion NFT introduces an element of gamified spending, which in turn harnesses community and novelty. Wear has also developed fast – Lau graduated only seven months ago, and presented this graduation-thesis project to several venture capitalists in New York. He eventually partnered with XRC Labs to launch his company, which hopes to set up an NFT marketplace and metaverse for luxury in the future.

“Our focus is collaborating with brands and artists to create unique NFTs,” says Lau. “We’re going to collaborate with four to six brands every year to mint and drop specific projects … and later we’ll launch a marketplace, but we want it to be curated.”

Fashion NFTs certainly seem like a highly successful marketing tool for brands, but it’s also been a way for up-and-coming digital artists to capitalise and show off their skills, often collaborating with bigger brands. Whisky label Glenfiddich’s partnership with digital designer Stephanie Fung, for example, resulted in The Filigree Aesthetic, a three-item limited-edition NFT fashion collection inspired by the work of The Grande Composition artist group.

“Digital wearables will be the next big thing within NFTs, and people will be able to utilise them within AR, VR, or metaverses,” Fung told the Jing Daily. “There’s a lot you can do with digital that you can’t achieve via real-life garments, such as animated graphics, making materials glow, or defying gravity.”The fashion and tech industries are perhaps not the most natural of bedfellows. “If you look at fashion people, they’re all about truth, beauty and detail - all the passion and love and history it takes to create something,” says Hobbs. “Tech, meanwhile, is all optimisation and scalability. So the two are completely separate. We act like a double-ended funnel, bringing in the brands and designers, because we know them and can understand their concerns, having been in the industry so long ourselves. And then, we’re connecting them through to the metaverse, gaming companies and anything digital web 3.0.”

The analogy that Hobbs uses is that BNV acts like a “babel fish in the middle of this funnel”, translating and communicating, making sure both sides are happy and the product is optimised.

Both BNV and Wear operate using the Ethereum cryptocurrency and blockchain, the current transparent gold standard in the NFT world. This means their products are compatible for use and resale on the huge OpenSea platform – the world’s first and largest NFT marketplace. The size of OpensSea means it’s more a jumble store (like Facebook Marketplace), whereas BNV and Wear both aim to be curated designer boutiques.

Many are still struggling to get their head around the functionality of NFTs. But the digital world moves fast, and savvy investors don’t want to be left behind. Although the average fashionista isn’t yet buying designer NFTs, a hungry crypto crowd is already investing in and trading them. Mass adoption isn’t as farfetched as you might think, says Lau. “Even though this NFT concept is new to everyone, the idea of digital ownership and purchasing something that doesn’t physically exist has been going on for many years. If you look at gaming … people have been spending a lot on gaming or game Metaverse purchases, whether it’s a jacket or outfit for your avatar, a sword, a weapon, etc. “So, if you look at it that way, this has been going on for many years. And it just so happens that with NFTs there’s this sort of verification, limited numbers and transparency.”

Gaming is an obvious area where NFT fashion could boom, and Hobbs says “it makes perfect sense”. Esports are still growing and young people are more than happy to spend on digital skins and wearables to “flex” and interact with other players in the gaming space. And now with mainstream eyes on the metaverse, Hobbs says the long-term vision at BNV is optimising wearability in its NFTs. Thus, BNV’s investment and partnership with blockchain gaming giant Animoca Brands has given it a big advantage.

“The collectible is what exists now, but our vision is long term wearability,” he explains, “meaning that in three to five years there’s going to be much wider access – many more people understanding it, lower cost products and lots of people literally having a digital wardrobe with hundreds of garments and accessories that they’ll be able to mix and match. We’re testing programmes to make our NFTs super-wearable across different decentralised platforms, so it lives in your digital crypto wallet, and when you log into the metaverse, only you can then wear that product in both a gaming metaverse and a social-media one.”

What does the future hold? Could we be wearing digital NFT fashions on Zoom and on social-media metaverses like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok? Just think about the Instagram filter boom – could digital fashions be just behind? For those who think so, the fashion NFT space could be highly successful, with Gen Z adopters likely being the holy grail. This is what start-ups like Wear, BNV and Australian company Neuno are banking on, and getting into the water early will be key.

In Asia, where digital adoption has always been fast, online gaming is very popular, and the appetite for fashion and luxury strong, there’s huge potential. The key component is Gen Zers like Lau, who says that “bringing and leveraging interesting IPs to the Asian market – with the development of Etherium 2.0 and the web 3.0 – it’s going to be a new way for Asian consumers to showcase and purchase art and fashion.”

Although you can’t wear digital outfits IRL (in real life), the creative possibilities of digital fashion are endless: with materiality and physics taken out of the equation, any fashion fantasy can become digital reality. Outfits could change colour, or float above the avatar body – a dress that morphs into a cluster of butterflies then transforms back again, for example. The buying, trading and even renting of NFT outfits can also happen in parts – if one NFT appreciates to be worth US$100,000, for example, Hobbs postulates there could be an option to sell shares in it.

The collaborations are getting interesting – and lucrative. A recent partnership between crypto-artist FEWOCiOUS and digital sneaker brand RTFKT Studios offered up three designs that bidders could “try on” in a Snapchat pre-sale. Eventually more than 600 virtual sneakers were sold, totalling US$3.1million. Like the Dolce & Gabbana NFT collection, these numbers are headline-making.Are these values inflated? Only time will tell. Since Nike just acquired RTFKT, the whole space is heading mainstream.

“The fashion world is going to work very differently in the future,” says Hobbs. “This digital fashion universe is going to be completely different from anything that existed before.”

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