We’re switching things up - is it a podcast?
Is it an article? It’s both!
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
03:57 Frillz collection and collaboration details
16:26 Jewellery as an asset class
29:19 Dream collaborations
32:04 The Future of Luxury
Find Simone’s Frillz tutorial video here, and articles on VerseLuxe’s ‘Frillz’ collection in Vogue Business, Grazia US, and Jing Daily.
VerseLuxe Founder and ‘Godmother of the Metaverse’ Cathy Hackl also answered my questions about the Frillz collection, the experience of creating her first jewellery line, and her thoughts on The Future of Luxury…
Jodie Smith: I’m sure you have the choice of almost anyone to collaborate with on VerseLuxe - what was it about Simone and her work that made you want to collaborate with her for the first collection?
Cathy Hackl: It’s truly been a great experience meeting Simone and collaborating with someone who understands my passion for integrating technology with luxury fashion. When I met Simone Faurschou in 2021, she was experimenting with blockchain technology from her previous collection and we quickly discovered that we both wanted to explore the potential of emerging technologies and creating new, innovative experiences that allow people to express themselves in unique ways. I am always looking for ways to create new opportunities for connection and collaboration and I see fashion as the ultimate way of self-expression. So coming together just made sense once I identified that the first capsule collection for VerseLuxe would be a connected jewelry collection.
I had seen Simone create elegant and sophisticated pieces that reflected her vision of contemporary luxury and has been recognized for her use of innovative materials and techniques. I brought the tech and she brought the expertise in jewelry and working with precious metals.
We connected over the vision of how technology can be integrated into the world of luxury, and both saw the potential for connected jewelry to be a tangible asset that blends of the physical and virtual world and dove right in. I knew I had found the person I needed to work with for the first VerseLuxe capsule collection. That’s how Frillz came to be!
JS: What appealed to you about creating a jewelry collection?
CH: I had spent several years working with brands and I wanted to start creating something that was my own. When I got my hands on some Arx NFC Chips, called HaLo chips, I started to think about what to do with them. I had already seen some of my male friends in the fashion tech industry use them in tshirts, hoodies, and sneakers. I wanted to do something different. I quickly realized that the chips would look great as medallions on a necklace and I quickly called Simone and asked her about the feasibility of covering the chips with precious metals. I sent her a few chips and our experimentation started. We burned several chips and realized that covering them in metal was not giving us the desired results. We finally agreed to use bioresin so that we still had something beautiful which would also allow for the chip to be scanned. All this experimentation helped me realize that doing a connected jewelry collection was the right way to go. I also knew almost no one had done what we were doing. I’m really excited about the future of wearables, so doing jewelry also made sense. Plus, doing jewelry felt like a challenge.
JS: VerseLuxe is described as part-luxury label, part-lab - what’s your definition of luxury?
CH: Luxury can be defined in many ways since it can vary from person to person and culture to culture. However, I would say that for me luxury comes down to three main concepts: exclusivity, experience and time, which is the inspiration for the design. Our Frillz collection is one-of-kind connected jewelry that will give exclusive access to its owners and there’s only a limited amount of them, 200 to be exact. They are made of ethically-sourced precious metals that encases a NFC-chip that will remain on the blockchain forever. Frillz as a name came from my concept of living a life with all the frills. I don’t want a no-frills life, I want a life full of frills, and part of that has to do with luxury. I don’t approach luxury from an excess angle, I approach it from an abundance mindset and wanting to life to the fullest. Luxury to me is also about having the audacity to be oneself and be authentically who you are.
JS: Do you see potential for growth in the wearable sector?
CH: Most definitely! Wearable technology has become increasingly popular in recent years, with devices such as smartwatches, fitness trackers, and with tech brands potentially introducing smart glasses in the future, I see a wearable world right around the corner. As technology continues to advance, we can expect even more innovative wearable devices to hit the market. Although we may be years away from a post-smartphone future, it never hurts to start strategizing and experimenting with said technology, so I remain very bullish about wearables.
JS: What are you learning about the jewelry industry from creating Frillz?
CH: I learned a lot! I’m a tech person who has been welcomed into the fashion industry and I’m so humbled by that. Jewelry was a bit newer to me, so Simone has been my guide. I do see the connected jewelry part of the business as a growing market that offers consumers personalization and technology that sometimes is on the blockchain in wearable form. One of the main challenges we saw with our connected jewelry was having to balance technology and aesthetics. I can confidently say that we have achieved what we set to do with our Frillz collection. We created something beautiful that is also technologically exciting to wear. I believe that in the future we can expect to see even more sophisticated connected jewelry that seamlessly integrates into our lives both physically and virtually.
A huge thanks to both Simone Faurschou and Cathy Hackl.
Want more conversations on the Future of Luxury? Let me know your thoughts!
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