Birkins on the blockchain? Welcome to the future!
Yep, it appears that the luxury bag has hit the digital realm, and, even in the metaverse, it's maintained its rank as the ultimate status symbol. The only problem? Hèrmes has nothing to do with it - and the brand certainly does not approve.
The French fashion house is, in fact, currently locked in a legal battle with one Mason Rothschild, an artist who has created colorful, hyperrealistic, and furry-looking depictions of the purses as NFTs (non-fungible tokens) that can be purchased with cryptocurrency.
Appropriately dubbed "MetaBirkins," the NFT collection is currently being sold on Rarible, a marketplace for digital assets. Despite the fact that they can't physically be touched or, like, actually used, the going rate for the priciest NFT purse among them is 249 ETH, which is currently equal to over $780,000. For comparison, the most expensive Hèrmes Birkin (and bag, in general) ever sold at auction in real life went for a little over $400,000 - and that one, the infamous Diamond Himalaya, boasted crocodile skin, 18-karat white gold hardware, and a smattering of white diamonds.
Now, after Rothschild defended his artwork from an alleged cease and desist letter from the brand, Hèrmes has officially filed a trademark infringement and dilution lawsuit against the NFT maker in New York federal court. In turn, Rothschild shared a public statement on his MetaBirkins Instagram account, insisting that he "won't be intimidated."
And we thought the fashion world couldn't get any more dramatic!
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