Maison Margiela takes a ‘big step’ to Web 3 with the MetaTABI experience.

Parisian haute couture house Maison Margiela is bridging the physical and digital realms with its new MetaTABI collection, an NFT token-blocked product experience from the brand's iconic split-toe shoe.

The launch, in partnership with digital fashion house The Fabricant, is “a big step in a metaphorical sense,” said Maison Margiela chairman Stefano Rosso during a live broadcast with Rugged Radio creator Steffi Fung.

It was his first foray into Web 3 using the brand's Tabby shoe, “It's so unique in so many ways—our Maison brand has a unique footprint attached to a new environment that's changing people's lives. Speak up.

MetaTABI consists of two different editions, 15 Tier 1 NFTs in white and 1,500 Tier 2 NFTs in black. Level 2 holders will receive a custom leather wallet containing the printed crypto wallet, explained the factory's founder, Adriana Hoppenbreuer.

Level 1 holders, meanwhile, get a pair of limited-edition handcrafted physical Tabby Boots. “Only 15 people in the world own those boots, and they're nowhere to be found,” says Hoppenbreuer. Those Tabby boots have a unique hand-painted gold finish that, Rosso says, “is a special treat, never done for any of our shoes or accessories.”

As well as physical products, Metatab owners also have access to virtual products on the AR and Metaverse platforms, including Sandbox and Ready Player Me. “The idea with digital boots is the same idea as with physical boots, you can choose where you want to wear them,” said Factory founder Kerry Murphy.

Maison Margiela has a past form browsing the Web3 space; Last year, it launched a blockchain game where participants competed to earn 24 token-linked digits.

Billed as “Maison Margiela's future foundation for the Web3 community,” the game's tokens allowed them access to Metatab's pre-sale before its public release, Hoppenbrouwer explained. “The pre-sale will be raffles for the factory owners, people who played the Maison Margiela game and very lucky people from our partner community,” she said.

Both editions of MetaTABI will give priority to Maison Margiela's upcoming Web3 projects via NFT Mint Pass, from virtual experiences such as exclusive programming and game activations to collaborative Web3 partnerships. “Mettab is really a membership token, you could say a new VIP program for Maison Margiela,” said Hoppenbrouwer.

“Think about how exclusive the Margiela events are,” Murphy said. “With this token, you basically get lifetime access. And that's one of the things that I see as very important right now, because those physical events are so desirable.

“More people will get to experience Maison Margiela,” said Murphy, through virtual events enabled by METABI NFT. “Through the token, you get all these different benefits of physical or virtual facilities. It is about creating value beyond what a material thing can provide on its own,” he said.

“You're getting more than just a physical product,” Rosso said. “It's certainly getting exposure to the brand in many other ways in the future. So this is just the beginning of the journey for us.