France's Balmain & MINTNFT launch NFT-Based Membership Programme

The Balmain Thread is the fashion house’s bespoke edition of ‘The Club,’ MINTNFT’s membership, loyalty, and rewards product that is powered by Web3 technology, according to a press release. Access to in-person and virtual events, rewards, community voting privileges, and much more will be fed into the programme to keep consumers engaged. No knowledge or ownership of crypto is required.

The creation of Balmain’s Web3 community builds on creative director Olivier Rousteing’s decade-long vision to form one unbroken story that will continue into the future. The Balmain Thread will oversee Balmain’s unique, constantly evolving series of NFT offerings, while also offering unparalleled access to upcoming Balmain moments, including special events, house collections, surprise drops, and dynamic digital experiences.

“I’ve never aimed to simply be cool,” noted Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing. “Instead, my goal has always been to ensure that this house’s designs are timeless and tied together by a unifying thread. And it’s important to never break that thread—because the moment that happens... well, that would mean that you’ve failed. That would mean that you haven’t been able to extend a clear vision or advance a distinct aesthetic.”

The first series of members had been invited to join the third edition of the Balmain Festival on September 28, an annual highlight of Paris Fashion Week. The Balmain Thread will launch later this year, and will eventually be home to 10,000 of the house’s customers and fans. Members of the Balmain Thread community will never need to have mastered the workings of crypto or blockchains in order to engage creatively with the house, with memberships minted on the carbon-friendly XRP Ledger blockchain and MINTNFT guaranteeing maximum security by proving authenticity via proprietary video verification technology.

New to the Balmain Festival will be ‘The Moment’ — a mobile photo experience created by MINTNFT that allows festival goers to transform and mint their favourite Balmain Festival fashion moment into their own unique digital collectible on the XRP Ledger. The Moment was developed by MINTNFT as a highly accessible way for brands to generate digital and physical engagement at events, added the release.

“The Balmain Thread builds upon this house’s distinctive strategy of continually exploring pathways that might strengthen our ties with the incredibly engaged, diverse, and global Balmain Army,” explained Balmain CMO Txampi Diz. “We’re excited about the future that lies ahead, as the physical and digital continue to merge, offering us new ways to introduce this house to broader audiences, as we build upon Olivier Rousteing’s determination to further democratise fashion.”

“We believe Web3 will drive a new wave in engagement, enabling companies to unlock access and provide richer experiences for their communities like never before,” said James Sun, CEO and co-founder of MINTNFT. “As a leader in innovation, both in fashion and technology, Balmain is the perfect partner to deliver this next evolution of NFTs and blockchain.”

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)