Orta’s First-Ever NFT Supports Sustainable Agriculture – Sourcing Journal

Orta Anadolu is the latest to develop an NFT for denim heads. The Turkish denim manufacturer recently debuted The Blueskyer NFT, a virtual rendition of its newly designed jumpsuit featuring 100 percent regenerative cotton and nodding to its regenerative agriculture efforts.

The jumpsuit was first shown at Kingpins Amsterdam last month. Proceeds from the NFT sales will support farmers transitioning to more sustainable agriculture methods.

The NFT depicts a digital display of the jumpsuit moving through a vibrantly colored fictional world that Orta describes as a “solarpunk-inspired, technorganic future world in which we want to live.” Surrounded by all of the vivid colors of nature, the digital jumpsuit dances along to a jazz guitar soundbite and represents society’s desire to cancel climate change.

“If we are to move away from the culture of waste and carbon-intense processes and move our industry forward, we need to adapt a bluesky mindset,” said Sedef Uncu Aki, Orta Anadolu director. “At Orta, we want to build a regenerative platform—a systems transformation of our denim industry through provocative innovation, open-source technology and collective action. Only then will we truly achieve a more optimistic and regenerative denim industry of tomorrow.”

Orta took a sustainable approach to every element down to the platform on which the NFT was sold. The NFT is minted by Tezos, an energy-efficient proof of stake blockchain. The platform produces a carbon footprint equivalent to just 17 people after 50 million transactions, significantly less than that of decentralized rivals.

The NFT is one of 100, and can be purchased through NFT marketplace Rarible for 5 XTZ, roughly the equivalent of $14.

The company recently made its metaverse debut in December with what it calls the “MetaDENIMverse.” It launched with its “Open Ticket” collection of stretch denim. Prior to that, it unveiled an online virtual reality (VR) journey where partners could embark on a virtual hot air balloon ride and view new fabrics.

Orta joins a number of denim leaders making their way into the space. Earlier this month, Gap launched an NFT collection featuring both a digital and physical offering, including a one-of-a-kind digital varsity jacket designed by its campaign star and designer Dapper Dan and a special-edition physical version he signed. The brand held a 48-hour auction of NFTs designed in collaboration with the designer.

Italian denim label Diesel has also gotten involved, and in March debuted D:VERSE, a new platform that hosts both physical and virtual products. For its debut collection, D:VERSE offered hero pieces from the Fall/Winter 2022 presentation recently showcased in Milan. The range includes three items from the collection: a fur jacket, a puffer jacket and the Prototype, creative director Glenn Martens’ first sneaker for the brand, which features colorful accents, asymmetrical lacing and rubber overlays across its uppers.