STOKE-ON-TRENT, England, June 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Josiah Wedgwood was a trailblazer ahead of his time. An innovator with a social conscience, scientific in his approach, inventive in his marketing and philanthropic in his attitude. These principles and values are just as relevant in today's hyperconnected world.
As Wedgwood enters Web 3, we ask…what would Josiah do?
Since Alice Bastin was appointed as Creative Director for Wedgwood in March 2022, she's been inspired by Josiah Wedgwood's legacy as a pioneer and design innovator and his reputation for constantly disrupting and challenging traditional industry thinking by leading through innovation and new technology.
Commenting on Bastin's appointment, Michael Konig, VP Design and NPD Vita, Fiskars Group adds "we know that making a heritage brand culturally relevant in today's digital world is hard. Doing so without compromising the brand's history is just exceptionally hard. The way Alice applies her long experience from luxury fashion to elevate our brands and propel them into the cultural conversation has been convincing from the start. Combined with the passion she brings to these brands makes the results feel so personal and original. A unique combination that we were lucky to find in her."
Alice's previous roles at luxury fashion houses Chloé and Celine, as well as her most recent tenure at Alexander McQueen, have placed her in an unrivalled position to express Wedgwood's heritage and craft through impactful collaborations and creative brand storytelling. Alice's work focuses on pushing the boundaries of materials and this creative approach has led Bastin to explore the possibilities of reimagining one of Josiah Wedgwood's most recognisable archive pieces, the Portland vase, as a NFT and collectable in the digital space.
Wedgwood in Web 3 is Alice Bastin's first public facing activity as Creative Director. Initially Bastin will focus on marketing, experiences and collaborations with a new direction and design expression for product expected to launch from September 2023 onwards.
Reflecting on the first brand experience for Wedgwood under her new creative direction, Alice says "we're taking our 260 year old heritage into Web 3 to create modern ways for our consumers to collect Wedgwood and be a part of our community. Physical ceramics have certain complexities, in Web 3 we can express Wedgwood in totally new techniques and in colours which would be impossible to achieve in Jasperware."
Bastin has commissioned three of today's leading digital artists to reimagine and recontextualise the iconic designs and creative codes of Wedgwood with a new visual expression. Roger Kilimanjaro, Krista Kim and Tom Furse demonstrate a creative sensitivity to Wedgwood's past, but their unique digital aesthetic and expressive interpretations, from 3D modelling and sophisticated looping to AI and machine learning technologies, create a totally new visual interpretation of Josiah Wedgwood's most recognisable designs.
Revealed at the first Wedgwood in Web 3 event presented in the Hintze Sculpture Gallery at the V&A Museum South Kensington in early June, the artworks were displayed on large digital screens alongside three original Jasperware pieces - the Portland, Borghese and Homer vases. A limited series of 300 NFT's of the Portland vase were also minted and gifted to guests attending the event.
The 300 NFT's were created under the creative direction of Alice Bastin in collaboration with Assaf Reeb's XXII Studio. The process involved 3D scanning, modelling and coding, culminating in a generative series of artworks. Each 3D render in this series is unique, featuring its own combination of traits such as materials, colours, ornamentation and background effects. This generative process provides owners with a completely unique piece of Wedgwood history. Commenting on the collaboration, Assaf adds "this is a pioneering and bold approach by a heritage brand, where certain parameters are predetermined by the designer, who then lets the algorithm select the final combinations."
Wedgwood in Web 3 shows the brand's ambition to do things differently and marks the beginning of a new era. A creative culture that respects Wedgwood's rich and storied heritage, but one that's not afraid to challenge preconceptions, encourage experimentation and embrace innovation through pioneering design and unexpected collaborations.
Sjoerd Leeflang, VP English and Crystal Brands, Fiskars Group comments "Wedgwood is one of the leading brands in Fiskars Group portfolio and the brand with most potential for global growth. It's also the brand in our portfolio that has strong roots in innovation and it makes absolute sense that Wedgwood should be exploring new brand experiences and services for our customers, such as Web 3 and NFT collectables. If Josiah was with us today, I am sure he would have been one of the first to experiment in this new space, as it's the perfect platform to introduce the reinvigorated Wedgwood brand."
Notes to Editors
About the Digital Artists
Roger Kilimanjaro
With over ten years of experience, Paris based artist Roger Kilimanjaro's work has been exhibited and sold globally in renowned spaces such as Sotheby's, Fauve and prestigious NFT marketplaces such as SuperRare and nifty Gateway. Using sophisticated 3D loops, he manipulates regular materials to create elegant and satisfying motion which has become a recognisable, unique motif in his work.
Instagram @rogerkilimanjaro
Krista Kim
Founder of Techism and co-founder of 0Studio.ai, Krista Kim is considered a pioneer within the Metaverse space. Her work has been showcased at Sotheby's, Times Square and in the permanent collection of LACMA. She also taps into other related fields: Krista is a TED speaker; a Cultural Leader for the World Economic Forum 2024; Louis Vuitton recognised Krista's vision by naming her among their #Louis200; she is the Metaverse Editor of Vogue Singapore; Architectural Digest recognised her with AD100 distinction alongside UNESCO's 50 minds for the next 50 years.
Instagram @krista.kim
Tom Furse
Tom Furse is a highly skilled multidisciplinary artist whose recent focus has been on the emerging field of creative applications of machine learning technology. Eager to explore new ground after 15 years of success in music as a producer and the synthesist in The Horrors, Furse's obsession with AI has dramatically expanded his practice over the last few years. His bold experimentation and hunger for new sights and sounds pulling him into the worlds of art, technology, music, film and fashion.
Instagram @tom_furse
About Fiskars Group
Fiskars Group (FSKRS, Nasdaq Helsinki) is the global home of design driven brands for indoor and outdoor living. Our brands include Fiskars, Gerber, Iittala, Royal Copenhagen, Moomin by Arabia, Waterford and Wedgwood. Our brands are present in more than 100 countries and we have approximately 350 own stores. We have close to 7,000 employees and our global net sales in 2022 were EUR 1.2 billion. We are driven by our common purpose, pioneering design to make the everyday extraordinary. Since 1649, we have designed products of timeless, purposeful and functional beauty, while driving innovation and sustainable growth.
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