Trailblazing fashion brand 9dcc, which combined blockchain tech with luxury clothing, is closing down at the end of May, its founder Gmoney revealed yesterday on X (formerly Twitter). The pseudonymous NFT artist and Web3 leader mentioned wider economic difficulties as the prime motivator.
Founded in 2022, 9dcc was at the forefront of digital-physical convergence with “networked products” — clothing containing Ethereum-based NFTs that confirmed authenticity and ownership. The brand generated buzz with high-profile partnerships with organisations like Adidas and Mastercard, as well as celebrity patrons like Bradley Cooper and Chance the Rapper.
In a statement on X, Gmoney wrote that they spent the last couple of years building the digital and physical worlds together, and they did revolutionary drops, hosted special events and created a community at the intersection of tech and fashion.
Although a culturally pertinent and devoted community, 9dcc was not able to face increasing financial strain. Gmoney stated that in spite of robust brand equity and an active community, they were not able to counter the macroeconomic winds in the Web3 consumer economy and the worldwide luxury retail deceleration.
Having been celebrated as a “crypto-native” reimagining of fashion for the digitally-orientated customer, 9dcc’s shutdown is a bracing reversal for blockchain-integrated clothing enterprises confronted with uncharted grounds.
