LUKSO brings "phygital" T-shirts to Berlin Fashion Week

At the January edition of Berlin Fashion Week the founders of the blockchain company LUKSO pre­sented so-called "phygital" T-shirts. These are linked to a blockchain and can interact with Instagram using augmented reality. By pointing a camera at the motif, the design of the T-shirt is improved. Already known applications of augmented reality (AR) are for example face filters. The LUKSO devel­opers also employ this AR use case for T-shirts: a camera recognizes the pattern and simu­lates a 3D object based on this. “”Phygital" is the term we use to describe the mix of digital and physi­cal. With this we show what will be coming in the next few years, namely the transition to virtual reality and virtual experience", explains co-founder Fabian Vogelsteller in an article by BTC Echo.

Redefinition thanks to blockchain

The Øko Nomi T-shirt collection, limited to 50 items, is also absolutely forgery-proof thanks to block­chain. This is made possible by RFID chips based on cryptographic processes with which they can be authenticated. But copying is impossible. Especially for luxury and designer items, blockchain opens up a wide range of possible applications. For example, origin, routes and owners can be traced. The digital information always remains unique, which increases the collector's value. "It will also strengthen the influence of users on brand popularity, as they can now distribute real values to their followers in the form of invitations, benefits and tokens. The possibilities are endless (...)", says Vogelsteller in an interview we were able to conduct with him. The showcase shows that digital tech­nologies will soon also be setting new standards in the fashion and luxury industry. With its innova­tions, digitization could redefine asset management, collection presentation and brand experience.

LUKSO means “luxury“

The Berlin start-up LUKSO was founded in 2017 by the four fashion tech entrepreneurs Marjorie Hernandez de Vogelsteller, Silke Bolms, Sarah-Jane Godman-Boritzki and Fabian Vogelsteller. In January 2018 they presented their blockchain for the first time at Berlin Fashion Week. With their showcase which they recently presented they impressively demonstrate the innovative power of the Berlin office. Vogelsteller is a developer of Ethereum software and has already contributed to several successful Blockchain projects. Also his partner and co-founder, Marjorie Hernandez de Vogelsteller, originally had little to do with fashion. She studied architecture in Weimar before turn­ing to the crea­tive and luxury industries. Silke Bolms is a PR strategist and co-founder of the agency Silk Relations and Sarah-Jane Godman-Boritzki is an independent management consultant for inter­national fashion houses with a focus on brand incubation, marketing and sales. The name of the start-up, "Lukso", is a term from the Esperanto language and means "luxury".