The country and western trend continues to gather moment across all walks of life, especially in the realms of fashion. Louis Vuitton’s Brown Varsity Jacket was one of the many Western-inspired products to walk the runway in the fashion house’s cowboy-themed Fall/Winter 2024 menswear show.
The jacket, made with suede buckskin, supple-grained leather sleeves, and cowboy-inspired lacing, it has now been revealed will be released differently from everything else from the FW24 collection: it is the first ready-to-wear article designed by Pharrell Williams to become available for VIA.
A Non-Fungible Token (NFT) project where Louis Vuitton creates digital collectibles out of its products, VIA has released 200 of these jackets, priced at €7,900 (around $8,500), as a phygital drop — meaning that lucky buyers will receive a physical jacket and a digital collectible. What a way to tick off both the actual and virtual worlds we live in today.
This limited-edition release is exclusively reserved for owners of a VIA Treasure Trunk, an NFT that cost €39,000 and was sold in June 2023. It’s unclear how many VIA Treasure Trunk owners there actually are, however, “several hundred trunks” were available according to reports.
Ownership of the trunks cannot be transferred but subsequent NFT purchases, such as this varsity jacket, can be sold on the secondary market. This jacket follows the release of a monogram Speedy 40 bag and a digital Mini Trunk through Louis Vuitton’s VIA platform. The potential for NFT assets to become investment pieces has been a mixed bag – those NFTs to capture the minds and smash demand have been few and far between, although the tipping point for assets in the virtual world to become real investment pieces has arguably yet to be achieved.
Pharrell’s time at Louis Vuitton has seen the release of many exclusive products. For example, the brand’s $1 million Speedy bag was available for sale on a made-to-order basis. This jacket, which is only available for those who have purchased a previous NFT and costs an eye-watering €7,900, might just be the hardest thing to buy from his latest Louis Vuitton Men’s collection.
Here at DiscerningGent.com we are certain Pharrell’s line for Louis Vuitton will continue to gather pace and more of his designs will continue to create demand. We’re on the lookout for the release of the Louis Vuitton Timberland Boots, and the expected near-impossible to buy availability.
