When did NFT become a thing? When did NFTs start? Their history dates back to 2017, when American studio Larva Labs developed CryptoPunks, a series of collectable digital characters traded through NFTs, which serve as a good starting point in getting your head around the technology. There are 10,000 unique CryptoPunks to collect.
Fashion plates were made with a similar attention to detail. They captured trends and dressmaking instructions
NBA Top Shot is a joint venture, started in July 2019, between the National Basketball Association, the NBA Players Association and Dapper Labs, which is best known as the creator of CryptoKitties (which, before Top Shot, was considered the world's most popular blockchain-based game).
Every week, Simon (Textile) and Hiromu (Fashion) get together to discuss fashion, textile and everything in between. In this episode, Hiromu talks NFTs. What are they and are they here to stay? Only he knows.
On the other hand, Simon went back in time to learn more about fashion illustrations and answers all of Hiromu's questions regarding their relevance in today's industry.
Early engraved fashion illustration showed off realistic details. They illustrated appropriate dress codes based on one's nationality or rank.
Fashion illustration as a proffesion gained traction and the beginning of the 20th century. Illustrators were given unprecedented freedom by the growing magazines to interpret the latest looks and trends. In fact, Vogue covers had exclusively been fashion illustrations until the 1930s.
Fashion illustration lost popularity between the 1950s and the 1980s. Photography provided a more detailed,cheaper alternative and some photographers gained celebrity status.
Today, fashion illustration is no longer neccessary for representing garments accurately. Social media allows illustrators, both working on paper and digitally, to gain a following. Illustrators are able to develop unique styles and techniques .
