On Tuesday, Paris Hilton-owned 11:11 Media launched an avatar fashion collection described as a “love letter to Y2K style” on avatar platform Genies. The move taps the proven power of celebrity to drive value for digital wearables.
Following Hilton’s launch of the Iconic Tracksuit collection under her own label in September, the self-appointed “Queen of the Metaverse” is now catering to her community and fans of her famous Y2K style in the digital realm. The velour tracksuit was Hilton’s signature look in the early 2000s. In October 2020, Kim Kardashian’s Skims brand featured Hilton in the ad campaign for a new velour tracksuit collection.
The pink-themed avatar collection features four futuristic wearables, including sunglasses, headphones, platform shoes and a metallic tracksuit. The latter is embellished in rhinestones with Hilton’s signature catchphrases like “Sliving” and “That’s Hot.”
“I love expressing myself through fashion, and it’s so much fun to see the opportunities creators are being given in web3 to express their fashion sense and creativity,” said Hilton. “We designed a bit of a throwback collection that will be fun for all my fans, since they’ll be able to customize my wearables and share with friends.”
Paris Hilton was an early celebrity adopter of web3, releasing digital wearables in 2015 with game company Animoca and selling a collection of NFTs via the Nifty Gateway NFT platform in April 2021. Hilton has also set up dedicated spaces in digital worlds in her signature aesthetic. Paris World has a presence on gaming platform Roblox, since December 2021, and metaverse platform The Sandbox, announced in August. The former has had 1.5 million visits, according to Roblox data.
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Hilton is one of the small number of celebrities to enthusiastically embrace web3. Others include Madonna, Justin Bieber and Snoop Dogg. All of Hilton’s activations and projects in the space stem from 11:11 Media, the next-gen entertainment company she set up to manage her global brand in October 2021. “11:11 Media invests in forward-thinking [companies] that play across our key business areas,” said Bruce Gersh, entertainment industry veteran, and co-founder, president and COO of 11:11 Media. “In Genies’ case, they are true pioneers bringing together technology, fashion and the creator economy. It was exciting to collaborate with a portfolio company.”
In April, Genies was worth $1 billion after earning a $150 million Series C investment round. The company — which sells digital fashions, homes and experiences — aims to establish itself as the leader for the creation of avatars and dedicated products. Genies facilitates co-creation and ownership of digital products, opening up revenue streams for creators. In January, it announced full ownership and commercialization rights to its users, giving talent and creators 100% of the monetary earnings from their Genie avatar creations. With Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group as partners, the platform has 99% market share for celebrity avatar creations.
Genies wearables are designed to be worn by fans’ avatars in the Genies Studio app. Genies users can also digitally customize collections and share the results to social media. Ultimately, after fans update Paris Hilton pieces, they’ll be able to sell the results on the marketplace. The avatars can be used on Genies, as well as on Giphy, iMessage and Instagram.
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According to Jake Becker, director of creators at Genies, Hilton has an unparalleled ability to create culture-defining moments that connect people around the world, especially through the medium of fashion. Creator platforms in web3 are still relatively small, but Genies wants to change that with its co-creation opportunities. Other creator platforms include Ready Player Me and Decentraland.
“At the end of the day, we are focused on providing all people the tools to create what is true to them. There are so many stories yet to be told and by so many people that have not had the opportunity to express themselves and connect with others through their creations,” said Becker. “In our minds, the next big fashion brands, designers and influencers will be born from our tools through the form of avatar ecosystem builders.”
