Everything
If you’ve managed to avoid getting caught up by the bitcoin craze thus far, we may have found your crypto kryptonite. During their Men’s Fall/Winter 2022-2023 collection, Italian luxury house Fendi revealed they were joining the world of web3 and entering the metaverse, launching two hardware crypto wallets in collaboration with the digital asset management platform Ledger.
Designed by Silvia Venturini Fendi, the latest must-have accessory for the virtual investor comes in two versions that directly reference two important pillars of Fendi heritage, both new and old: an O’Lock motif that was first seen back in 2021 during Kim Jones’ debut womenswear show and the brand’s iconic Baguette bag, created by Silvia herself. Made with lightweight and robust aluminium, the Baguette edition comes complete with embossed rivets and buckle detail and the company monogram. Open it up, and you’ll discover a snug little compartment that can safely store your Ledger Nano X digital wallet. The O’Lock edition is transformed into an enclosed case with the interlocking FF embossed around the edge. Your Ledger Nano X wallet swivels to sit inside this, much like a Swiss pocket knife.
Both the Baguette and O’Lock come with snap-hooks that allow it to be attached to your bag, keyring and belt hook or even a lanyard for those who like to keep their finances close to their chest. Could this be the end of the mini-bag and the beginning of a new era in micro-accessories? We can only hope and at least this actually carries something of substance.
Depending on how you view the potential in this new digital culture, cryptocurrencies may either elicit an eyeroll of despair or a sense of anarchic excitement. But there’s no denying that Fendi’s first foray into the metaverse is enough for even the most cynical of us to reconsider our stance. For practical reasons, at the very least. Perhaps if James Howells had one of these he might not be facing his current crisis. Eight years ago the Welshman threw away a hard drive that contained his private key that would allow him to access approximately US$78 million in cryptocurrencies. While he’s now hoping to recover this fortune from a local landfill, the rest of us can learn from his dilemma and invest in a far more aesthetically pleasing, and reliable, method of storage.
FENDI, CRYPTO WALLET, COMING SOON
THIS ARTICLE WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE EIGHTH EDITION OF ICON PRINT MAGAZINE. ORDER YOUR COPY HERE.
