JW Anderson and xydrobe unveil #harrystylescardigan NFT for auction

JW Anderson and NFT (Non-fungible token) auction platform xydrobe has unveiled the #harrystylescardigan for its first NFT auction, with proceeds going to LGBTQ+ charity, akt.

The colourblock patchwork cardigan from the British fashion label's menswear SS 20 collection will be the first NFT from JW Anderson, the first auction lot from xydrobe and the first NFT of an already existing collectible piece.

Currently on display at London's Victoria & Albert Museum, the cardigan sparked a social media trending sensation after the singer wore it to rehearsals on the US broadcaster NBC's Today show in February 2020.

Tik Tok user Olivia Strong created her own version of the £1,250 jumper and posted the video, inspiring thousands of others to do the same over the lockdown in June. In response, JW Anderson's Creative Director, Jonathan Anderson, released the pattern and a tutorial of how to make it online. The hashtag #harrystylescardigan has reached over 86 million views to date.

The cardigan has crafted into an NFT by xydrobe's in-house team of VFX artists. The platform said it took 300 hours of work for every piece of the yarn to be built in 3D before weaving it together procedurally for each of the six different knit patterns that make up the piece. Every imperfection, colour and decision in the building of the cardigan has perfectly replicated.

The xydrobe auction for the platform's first Archive Collectible will open on 12 December at 19:00 UTC and will run for 48 hours. There will only be one NFT of the cardigan created, available with a reserve price of £10,000 and sold exclusively through xydrobe.