Rolls-Royce – The Six Elements Phantom

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Dubai and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Abu Dhabi, are inspiring greatness at its best by collaborating with the Dubai-based world-renowned contemporary British artist Sacha Jafri for the inception of ‘The Six Elements’ Phantom.

Jafri is known for creating the world’s largest painting on canvas, Journey of Humanity (see above) over seven months during the COVID-19 pandemic in Dubai. With his work having been shown in the most prominent Art Institutions across the globe. The Dubai-based artist is described as ‘The Pioneer of Magical Realism’ and this century’s true zeitgeist, bringing painting with raw emotion back to the forefront of the art world. Sacha’s work acts as an electric shock to the senses, reminding us of the magic in the mundane and awakening the child within us all. His recent paintings celebrate the life’s achievements of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, President Barack Obama, HE Nelson Mandela, David Beckham and Sir Alex Ferguson. Sacha Jafri is widely regarded as one of the world’s most celebrated living artists and has raised more than $140 million for charities across the world from the sale of his art.

Coming back to this beautiful collaboration. These six one-of-one Rolls-Royce Phantom Series II motor cars will each feature a unique, painted Sacha Jafri Gallery, inspired by the one of the five elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Air, with Humanity as the ‘sixth element’. The project has the expressed aim of raising $1 million for charity, with associations to be announced later this year. The chosen beneficiaries will be Humanity-centric, spanning three sectors: Education, Health, and Sustainability.

Selected for his inimitable vision, style and use of colours, Jafri is crafting a unique Gallery for each Phantom Series II, themed around the Six Elements. The principle of adding Humanity as an element builds on the ethos of the British artist’s works around the five traditional elements. The underlying message is the need to reintroduce a sense of humanity to the world and to find balance within ourselves.

For Sacha Jafri, each of the elements evokes different emotions, spirit, energy and purpose. Fire represents passion and belief. Fire is balanced by earth, which represents grounding and roots. Air is the essence of life, enabling us to breathe. Wind enhances our feelings of freedom, whilst Water, supports our lyricism and fluidity. Humanity brings love, embrace, and the linking of souls.

«The six Rolls-Royce Phantoms will embody the emotion of each elemental force. The artistic journey begins and ends with emotion and intention, fuelling my inspiration to create the colour palette of the ‘Six Elements’. Earth, Fire, Wind, Water and Air are enhanced by the addition of a ‘new element’, Humanity – the very essence of life itself.
Rolls-Royce is a brand of intention, excellence, power, detail and passion – a brand that has been on a similar journey to my own. It has set new levels of achievement, with pioneering accolades yet to be surpassed. By embracing empathy, we are able to reconnect the spirit of our world, in connection with our Elements and the souls of not only the individual, but of the very idea of universal consciousness.
We are embarking on a journey that aims to continuously fulfil those values, keeping our intentions pure and driven, eternally. This commission is indicative of these principles, not only incorporating art for the sake of aesthetic inspiration, but also a nurturing of the soul, an uplifting of the spirit, and the embodiment of a true charitable cause
Sacha Jafri, Artist

The Rolls-Royce Phantom ‘The Six Elements’ motor cars will also feature a unique digital element. The marque is simultaneously launching «The Rolls-Royce That Keeps on Giving» NFT initiative, which includes six individual flythrough animations.

Each time any of the six NFTs are traded, a royalty of 20% will be donated to the chosen charity. The six distinct one-off NFTs are linked to each of the six Phantoms, however, owners can sell their NFT separately if they choose to do so. These NFTs will be uniquely embedded within the glove compartment of each Phantom Series II, enabling each of the six owners to view their NFT experience whilst sat within their car.

The eighth generation of Phantom was unveiled in 2017. When creating this new expression, Phantom Series II, Rolls-Royce designers and engineers were guided by the requests of clients, who implored Rolls-Royce not to make any major changes to an already iconic motor car. In answer to these client demands, only the lightest of design touches, embellishments, and adaptations have been incorporated. Indeed, Phantom Series II is not about what should be changed, but in fact, what should be preserved and protected.

Utterly unique to Phantom, the marque offers an extraordinary art-within-art canvas: The Gallery. Running the entire length of the fascia and conceptualised to house Bespoke creations with an uninterrupted glass enclosure. In this instance, these ‘Six Elements’ Phantom Series II motor cars were designed at the Home of Rolls-Royce around Jafri’s hand-painted galleries.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Rolls-Royce, © Sacha Jafri and via Humanity Inspired
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Oetker Collection x Drest

The Oetker Collection, the hospitality group behind Masterpiece Hotels including Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, The Lanesborough and Eden Rock – St Barths, amongst others, is teaming up with DREST, the world’s first luxury fashion gaming app. DREST players take on the role of a stylist, putting high-fashion looks together for daily challenges using an unparalleled catalogue of current collections from over 250 of the world’s top brands. Crucial to a player’s success in each photoshoot is their choice of location, as they select a backdrop most likely to help their photo stand out and win votes from the community.

«I am thrilled to collaborate with Oetker Collection and together usher in a new era for travel experiences in the Metaverse. Oetker Collection’s beautiful properties, in some of the world’s most desirable locations, are truly iconic and synonymous with style and elegance, making them the perfect partner for this, DREST’s latest gaming adventure,» said Lucy Yeomans, Founder of DREST.

Following on from partnerships with luxury brands such as Gucci, Cartier, Prada, Valentino and NARS who collaborate with DREST to unlock the highly engaged gaming audience, this is the first time a luxury hospitality brand will enable meaningful brand storytelling and discovery via mobile gaming.

«We are delighted to partner with DREST on this exciting collaboration, marking our entry into the virtual world. It allows people to discover Oetker Collection hotels in a fun and immersive way and the interactive challenges truly bring the escapism and glamour of travel to life,» shared Simon Neggers, SVP Sales, Marketing & Communications, Oetker Collection.

The exclusive partnership will be available for DREST’s players to style with across all photoshoot challenges, commencing with a dedicated programme of content in July 2022. To begin their virtual journey, players will be transported to Le Bristol Paris, the first hotel in France to receive Palace distinction, for a series of special photoshoots to coincide with Haute Couture Fashion Week. They will also have the opportunity to create a moodboard for their ‘stay’ at Le Bristol Paris, featuring scenes from inside the Parisian icon and special stickers such as Socrate, the beloved cat in residence.


Next stop on DREST’s French Oetker Collection styling odyssey is the South of France and the legendary Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, where players can get creative by pairing the latest vacation fashion featuring the property’s emblematic swimming pool as one of the backdrops.

A visit to nearby Vence is next as Château Saint-Martin & Spa, the exquisite summer hideaway offering dreamy panoramic view of the Riviera hinterland, is the third French destination of this first instalment of this roving luxury travel partnership.


The Lanesborough, the location of an intimate event to celebrate the partnership, will also feature in a challenge in the launch phase. Players will be invited to dress as if attending a lunch at the magnificent London landmark hotel’s chic new restaurant, The Lanesborough Grill.

Exclusive challenges featuring Oetker Collection’s remaining Masterpiece Hotels including, L’Apogée Courchevel, Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa in Baden-Baden, Eden Rock – St Barths, Jumby Bay Island in Antigua, Palácio Tangará in São Paulo, The Woodward in Geneva and Hotel La Palma in Capri, will follow throughout the year.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Via Oetker Collection x Drest
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Drest

DREST is the world’s first luxury RVR (Real Virtual Reality) platform – where the real and virtual worlds intertwine and fashion meets fun. DREST is the leading fashion styling mobile game with creativity, user-generated content, shopping, entertainment and philanthropy at its core. Founded in 2019 by Lucy Yeomans, the award-winning former editor-in-chief of PORTER, NET-A-PORTER.COM and Harper’s BAZAAR UK, DREST opens the gamification portal to the luxury fashion industry and provides individuals everywhere the opportunity to play in this exciting world.

Building on proprietary avatar technology, DREST combines gamification, advertising, e-commerce and data strategies, partnering with the most exciting brands and talent in the fashion and entertainment industries to offer an unparalleled in-game experience. DREST holds the elements of metaverse at its core, providing the platform for user-generated content through its styling challenges, evoking the very best of user play that inspires virtual creations to become real, and rendering the real in the virtual world.

Featuring and working with over 250 luxury brands including Gucci, Bottega Veneta, Prada, Off-White, Loewe, Valentino, Cartier, Burberry and Fendi, DREST’s digital fashion assortment is provided by both Farfetch and brands directly, enabling users to easily discover and shop the latest collections.

In 2020 DREST introduced some of the most forward-thinking runway names as Supermodel avatars. As well as being digital fashion innovators, Natalia Vodianova, Precious Lee, Irina Shayk, Imaan Hammam and Candice Huffine are all advocates for vital charities and movements; as part of their partnership with DREST, the company has pledged to match 50% of the revenue earned in game by the Supermodels as charitable donations.

DREST is available to download from The App Store.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: Via Drest
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Prada Drops Second Timecapsule NFT

Prada announces the release of its second Timecapsule NFT Collection, which is linked to both a gender-neutral physical product and a gifted NFT. This NFT drop follows the launch of the first Timecapsule NFT Collection on June 2nd in collaboration with artist Cassius Hirst.
The Timecapsule NFT Collection debut resulted in an immediate sell-out of the collection. The launch also coincided with the creation of the «Prada Crypted» server on Discord which gained a large following solidifying the brands commitment to building an inclusive Web3 community, but this is just the beginning of the journey.

A key design element of this latest Timecapsule shirt is that the garment is made from upcycled fabrics from the Prada archives. By turning iconic printed textiles into a unique design, these materials are given a new life, perfectly in line with the Brand’s sustainability strategy and approach to circular thinking.

This shirt, which is #31 drop in the Timecapsule Collection, is emblazoned with the calendar month of «July». It features a black color pipeline matched with the Holliday & Brown tulip print on a cotton poplin base. It also features a «Jacquard Animalier» silk brocade and lurex fabric; as well as Jacquard Thrush (flower), a silk fabric produced from an early 20th century French archive. The final details of the design include a «Poplin Loto» printed fabric with deco inspiration.

The Timecapsule is a monthly online event: for 24 hours, on the first Thursday of every month, an exclusive item is made available on prada.com in very limited quantities, in selected markets. Each limited-edition Timecapsule item is associated with a unique serial number and is delivered with custom packaging. By purchasing the Timecapsule, customers will be able to redeem the related NFT which will be available, in a second phase, also for those who bought the Timecapsule dating back to the first launch in December 2019. As such, there is a synergy between the Prada Timecapsule and the scarcity and desirability of NFTs.

The NFT includes the drop serial number and the numbering of each physical item in order to have an exact correspondence. NFT owners are then offered exclusive benefits and experiences as well as access to future drops. Prada Timecapsule NFTs are issued on the Ethereum blockchain, offering a secure and user-friendly experience. The drop is facilitated by leveraging the Aura Blockchain Consortium’s NFT Solution and technology.

The Prada Timecapsule drop is open to customers in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China Mainland, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong S.A.R., Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxemburg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan (China), Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States for 24 hours only, starting from July 7, 2022 at 3pm – CEST, limited to 50 items.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © Prada
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New NFT Drop: Balmain x Cole

French fashion house BALMAIN has partnered with digital artist JEFF COLE to create THREE EXCLUSIVE NFTs inspired by the Balmain Unicorn sneakers.

Balmain S/S 2022

Only on MINTNFT can you make bids of these exclusive NFTs that include both physical and digital utility:

– One pair of Balmain Unicorn sneakers, signed by Creative Director Olivier Rousteing
– One original sketch of the Balmain Unicorn sneaker, signed by Balmain’s Head of Sneaker Design, Safa Sahin
– Two VIP access passes to the Balmain Festival V03 during Paris Fashion Week 2022, in September
Balmain’s own NFT, the «Non-Fungible Thread», which creates additional utility (drops later during 2022)

Make your bids. Get your Unicorn.
Auction closing: Friday, June 24, 2022, at 12PM EST

LoL, Sandra

Photos: © MINTNFT
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10KTF Gucci Grail

A crystal ball heralds its arrival. Mysterious and fascinating, the magical globe is the gift the digital avatar of Alessandro Michele, Gucci’s Creative Director, offers Wagmi-san, world renowned digital artisan who has invited the designer – already on a journey towards new paradigms and forms of creativity – to his virtual shop in New Tokyo.

We cannot resist using the lexicon of fairy tales to describe ‘10KTF Gucci Grail’, the new initiative happening in Vault’s experimental space. In collaboration with digital accessory shop 10KTF, Gucci has created ad hoc digital outfits designed by Alessandro Michele and created by Wagmi-san to dress PFPs from eleven selected NFT collections including Bored Ape, World of Women, Cool Cats and many others. The «PFP» acronym stands for ‘Picture For Proof’, a NFT version of a profile photo, used by collectors both as their portrait and as extreme expressions of artistic and technological talent. The encounter between Wagmi-san and Alessandro Michele generates two custom Gucci looks, available in different colors, inspired respectively by the Aria and Love Parade collections, for those who aspire to express their individuality through fashion in the parallel digital worlds.

The House is already present in the realm of NFTs, the ‘Non-Fungible Tokens‘ that have transformed our experience of art, sublimating it into immaterial digital works. Acquiring personalised virtual garments also involves several steps, not unlike the actual process of securing a designer creation (which requires several fittings).

Over the past few days, the crystal ball has been accessible to three groups of people – those who already own a PFP; those who are members of the Gucci Vault community on the Discord server, and those who already ‘inhabit’ New Tokyo, where artisan Wagmi-san lives. Those who redeemed their crystal ball were able to choose between the different Gucci looks artfully tailored by Wagmi-san and receive their customized digital avatar.

With only a limited number of users involved, this project has the feel of a unique work: «10KTF Gucci Grail» not only highlights the individuality of each person, but it also unveils the huge, spectacular potential of virtual realities, enabling us to design a digital identity in an alternative world. To be dressed for the metaverse is to have another self that Vault allows us to generate through the codes of Gucci.

About 10KTF

Founded in September 2021, 10KTF is the leading shop known for producing bespoke digital accessories in the Metaverse. Located in New Tokyo, the shop is owned and operated by Wagmi-san, a renowned artisan who creates 1:1 digital collectibles for select parent NFT projects. 10KTF is a product of WENEW.

Follow @10ktfshop on Twitter for all of the latest happenings, or visit 10ktf.com to catch up on the full story.

LoL, Sandra

Photos: ©  Gucci / © 10KTF
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