March 8, 2024 |
The famous two-toed, mythical creature; the shoe made for fashion students and satirical starter-packs on Instagram. We all know it, and love it, but now its inserting itself into the digital sphere. Maison Margiela’s Tabi, gets the Meta treatment.
Partnering with digital fashion brand The Fabricant, known for its previous collaborations with Highsnobiety and Napapijri, the idea is to provide customers with the key to join in on Margiela’s digital innovation journey. For the past few years, the Tabi has captivated perusers of social media becoming a much discussed signature piece, but just last year it walked its way into the hearts of celebrity stylists, becoming the ultimate in-the-know item. Seen on Dua Lipa, Kylie Jenner, Cardi B, Brenda Weischer and even Pedro Pascal.
This wasn’t the Tabi’s first time around the block, though. The signature shoe was first proposed by Martin Margiela in 1988 and the original Jika-Tabi’s that he based his design on have been worn by Japanese workers for reflexology-related balance and clarity of mind, dating back to the 15th century.
In 2024, the brand new MetaTABI collection is arriving as a two-tiered drop; one part virtual (an NFT, or Non-Fungible Tabi if you will) and the other physical, with certain custom-made pieces available, as well as gaming integrations and an augmented reality experience. The MetaTABI NFT will provide buyers with a mint-pass, which offers exclusive priority access to future collections that the maison will present within digital environments.
Chairman of Maison Margiela and CEO of BVX, Stefano Rosso believe that digital exploration within the luxury industry is fundamental to the growth of the house, stating, “at Maison Margiela, we believe that innovation is key to advancement in our industry, and it is an opportunity to further express the identity of our brand.”
Kerry Murphy, co-founder of The Fabricant, comments on the impact of the partnership: “This collaboration redefines the fashion experience, marking a new era in fashion accessibility and creativity.”
The Tabi has always been timeless, but now, with the help of The Fabricant it’s been rendered limitless. Available for pre-orders on March 26 from 5pm UK time, and general orders March 27 from 8am exclusively on thefabricant.com, don’t forget to set your alarms. You won’t want to miss this.
Photography courtesy of The Fabricant.
