DRIP-LAB, Another-1’s latest project, brings the art of four international writers in the digital world turning their graffiti into NFTs
Lampoon introduces Marco Staglianò, CEO of Another-1
Marco Staglianò comes from the world of finance and investments. He has many years of experience in corporate finance and M&A between Italy and Asia, particularly China. The idea of Another-1 stems from his passion for sneakers, which he collects. As does most of Another-1’s core team. They created the platform to facilitate the secondary trading of sneakers.
It focuses mainly on the exchange of limited edition hype shoes in the secondary market. They are normally not accessible to the average user as they are extremely rare. Additionally, they are at the mercy of collectors or people involved in the mechanisms of the market. The platform aims to facilitate access with a view of democratization of the ecosystem. As well as increasing the fruition of these hype items and the liquidity of the market.
Another-1 is connected to NFT technology
«The idea was born in 2018 and was consolidated in 2019. At that time, the core team included me, Francesco Sorrentino, creative director, Lionel Waymel, head of digital products, and Ttaylor Daley, NFT strategist. The fil rouge which binds us is obviously the passion for hype shoes», Staglianò says. Through NFT technology, Another-1 connects each physical item to a NFT, made into a digital representation of the shoe which also acts as a certificate of authenticity. «Instead of trading the physical shoe, people trade the digital certificate. It is a way to make money from trading without all the limitations of the physical world», Staglianò explains.
In 2021, Another-1 reached an important milestone. They entered the incubation process of Animoca Brands, guru of NFT investors. Through this, they created a community of sneaker enthusiasts called The sneakerheadz society. The Another-1 team realized that their efforts should not aim exclusively at the union between digital and physical. It should also comprise at the implementation of an effective communication strategy and post-purchase experience. This is in order to maintain and amplify the relationship with their community. Today, their offer consists of phygital services which allow immersive experiences in the metaverse and real experiences connecting the real and virtual world.
Another-1: democratization and decentralization
«In our case, decentralization is an advantage because it allows users to buy products created in places far from them. For example, if a particular sneaker comes out on occasion of an event in a LA shop and it is only sold in that specific store, it is clear that I could not physically buy it. If, on the other hand, I create a digital product which gives access to a physical item, I could buy it from anywhere in the world, as long as I am connected at the time of the drop», Staglianò explains.
However, it is common knowledge that deregulation goes hand in hand with decentralization. In the case of Another-1, having multiple jurisdictions involved in the buying and selling process implies that the offer for phygital products is for a global market. In fact, the NFTs traded on the platform may have been legally created in Singapore – where Another-1 is based – while final users can be anywhere in the world. According to Staglianò, sellers are more likely to encounter problems related to the deregulation of the market. Which is why the terms and conditions of the offer are key. «Every time we launch a collection, we provide clear purchase terms. They are both for those who buy in the primary and secondary markets. Some countries such as China, for example, cannot make transactions in cryptocurrency. So, we declare that some kinds of products are therefore not intended for Chinese buyers».
Redemption – a value
Another-1 offers a phygital product, digital in the beginning with the possibility of physical redemption. This associates with all the logistical problems of the physical world. Again, terms and conditions come in handy: «If you are in the EU, we can send you the product for free. If you live in the USA, Japan etc. you may have to pay customs fees. In Kenya, for example, buyers have to sign a waiver stating that they will be responsible for self-importing the products». On the supply-side, the solidity of the company plays a primary role. According to Staglianò, the problems arise when entering the secondary platforms, usually less controlled. By the end of the year, Another-1 will launch a marketplace for the trading of NFTs.
«It is clear that the owner can still decide to trade their NFT on other platforms by exiting our ecosystem. In these cases we cannot guarantee that the other platform will protect the NFT, the user and their account. Since there is not a single body governing the market and the related dynamics, these are the risks. People can avoid them by means of cyber security systems», Staglianò explains. Another-1 is also working on its blockchain. Staglianò explains that with his team, they want to be responsible for creating an ecosystem where they decentralize decision-making power. While, governance is centralized to those who own a certain amount of Another-1’s tokens. Each transaction will therefore need a sort of approval. «The more decentralized the ecosystem is, the more difficult it is to have hacks or other security problems», he claims.
DRIP LAB: the innovative creative laboratory of Another-1
On the occasion of the Creating with Blockchain summit, Another-1 presented its innovative project: DRIP-LAB. The goal is to create a multidisciplinary laboratory. Here, users can experience the art of graffiti both in their original setting, the street, and online as NFTs. Each graffiti is therefore photographed and broken down into unique 65×65 samples which will eventually become NFTs. These graffiti fragments will then be printed on Olmetex fabrics, to reach every latitude and longitude of the globe.
The project stemmed from the relationship with the artist-writer, Zoow24. This artist pushed them to reflect on a fundamental passage which took place in the fashion industry in the last three to four years: the increasingly frequent collaborations and collections with strong references to the pop world and the culture of the 80s and 90s. The Another-1 team thus decided to replicate this model between physical and digital. They created an unprecedented collection of phygital products. Zoow24 was also the point of contact with the company Olmetex, with which he had already collaborated with in the past.
DRIP LAB involving artists
The four artists involved in the project are all united by the graffiti technique. Each has with their own peculiarities on an artistic level. Zoow24 already had experience in the fashion world thanks to his collaborations with Off White and Moncler. Through him, Staglianò and his team became acquainted with Trane, a French artist active since the late nineties. Schiche and Shek are emerging artists, disciples of Trane and Zoow24 respectively.
«We hope to help them make themselves known to the general public through our project», says Staglianò. As part of DRIP-LAB, the first legal work for Trane was also created. Here, he decided to expose himself by signing the work. «Our idea was to bring four internationally renowned writers into a creative laboratory. Hence ‘drip’, the dripping of spray and colors, and ‘lab’, which stands for laboratory. A new form of creativity which, drop by drop, fills a laboratory of innovation which can develop into works of art and products for the phygital world». In all the works proposed by the artists, viewers can find clear references to the writer’s subculture and their daily sources of inspiration. These transform their way of living the street into art.
DRIP-LAB will deliver the phygital products, including a wearable collection, to its users. As well as new opportunities for NFTs owners thanks to the new frontiers of the metaverse and through collaborations with tech companies, such as Sandbox and Decentraland.
Marco Staglianò on the future of creativity
Another-1’s value proposition is based on three core elements. «First of all, our value proposition is based on access. We gave the opportunity to Lucio Vanotti, the artist who helped us in the creation of our phygital shoes, to invent a collection and a unique design, and also physically create the product. This is an innovative method which allows artists to access new business opportunities without the help of sponsors or investors», Staglianò claims. The second element is the inclusion of communities. They redesigned the creative process so that communities and end users have the opportunity to interact and make a small contribution to the collections.
The third element is the use of blockchain: tracking every use of the NFT entails an advantage in economic terms for the artists. «Artists can be rewarded correctly, both when placing the product on the market and during secondary sales operations. This is the main advantage of blockchain technology, an incentive for creatives and a method for enhancing creative assets in all sectors of creativity (art, music, cinema, design…)», says Staglianò. Finally, this technology contributes to the prevention of cases of infringement of intellectual property. «There will always be the possibility for creatives to access greater levels of utility».
Another-1
Born with the aim to combine the physical and digital world. Another-1 platform’s ecosystem puts users and markets in contact through blockchain technology. Representing a diverse spectrum of generations, interests and passions which encapsulate an authentic snapshot of modern hype society, its goal is to democratize the access to hype streetwear items.
