Boys Cat & STAPLEVERSE Ads “STAPLE GUT” NFT Collab
“If an 18-month-old t-shirt brand came up to me at a trade show and said, ‘Hey, let’s work together, I’d be like, ‘Yeah, we’ll think about it.'” Not to say no, but let let’s see what happens with your brand over a traditional fashion calendar. Maybe three years down the road,” Jeff Staples said of how streetwear typically works.
Unless you’ve created something that monumental or had an influencer adorn your clothes, it’s a slow climb out of obscurity for almost any brand. So how did Gutter Cat Gang, an 18-month-old NFT project, make the cut?
Friends Karlee, Eric, Mitch and Dan founded the Gutter Cat Gang, starting with the launch of 3,000 NFTs. The project has since expanded the universe to include gutter rats, gutter dogs and gutter pigeons. After hosting a few notable features and partnerships, the project quickly gained traction as one of the most popular NFTs on the market.
Meanwhile, Staple is an old streetwear brand. Launched in 1997 by Jeff Staple, the brand created hyped history with its Pigeon Dunks, which essentially sparked the sneaker camping trend. Now Staple is in the meta-universe, making its foray into web3 with the launch of STAPLEVERSE early this year.
Collaboration is a cornerstone of Gutter Cat Gang and Staple as brands, so it’s only natural that they came together for STAPLEGUTTER Series One. GCG and Staple credit their active communities for tagging each other on Discord, the shared messaging platform home to NFT buzz.
It’s actually not surprising considering how many of them are tagging Highsnobiety’s Discord about the GCG/SV AMA before this story even dropped (which happens on October 23rd at 1pm).
Boys Cat Gang and STAPLEVERSE officially met during NFT NYC. For Gutter Cat, NFT NYC was a big splash as the event with Stadium Goods became one of the most memorable experiences of the week-long convention.
“Our goal was to have a strong presence at NFT NYC and give the web3 space an idea of who we are,” says Karlee. “We wanted to work with a brand that shared the same understanding of collections and collecting culture, which is what Stadium Goods is.
“They were looking for a strong community to start these block parties with, so it was kind of easy for us.”
Real events like GCG x Stadium Goods not only bring visibility, it’s also starting to bring in non-crypto people.
“Right now the space is so new and still feels very underground. It will take a few years for the digital landscape to develop enough for our community to engage in a meaningful way, like on social media,” states Karlee. “So, I think it’s important to have real-life activations that allow the community to come together.”
“Long term, we want to see that transition that bridges the gap and allows us to capture the digital brand in a ‘real way’ through storytelling and immersive experiences.”
In response, Jeff commented on the impressiveness of Gutter Cat’s recent Vegas meet – an event inspired by the logistics it took for a remote retreat involving an NFT project – and how challenging it would be for STAPLEVERSE.
“If I’m going to a Vegas meet for the Staplers, I’m going to have to fight someone who’s been buying Staples since 1998, who doesn’t have an NFT and says ‘why don’t I go to Vegas too?'” So I have to take care of those people . It’s an interesting challenge to have.” says Staple.
On the flip side, Gutter Cat Gang has attracted an audience that is a bit more crypto-native.
“We had a 14-year-old on TwitterSpace last night talking about how he transitioned from gaming to NFTs, starting by buying skins on Fortnite. We always think of mass adoption as people in our thirties, but we should also be looking at younger generations,” states Karlee (and she’s right).
Gen-Z and younger grew up with in-game purchases for avatar skins and other pieces of digital identity. For these generations, NFTs are less about having an “asset” that increases in value and more about expressing identity.
Karlee estimates that web3 is “70, 80% male” even with younger fans. When asked about the inclusion of more women in the space, she notes that women buy more than men — but they don’t feel as much of a sentimental connection to digital collectibles yet. She credits a shift toward sustainability and people wanting to consume less to possibly more women moving toward NFTs.
A metaverse conversation that often goes around is whether the web3 industry will be our next evolution from social media. The pandemic was no doubt an accelerating one, but the pressure to be our “best selves” on Instagram is exhausting for both older and younger generations. Asked by Jeff and Karlee if that was true for them, both admit that’s part of the appeal of web3.
“That’s why I like it. I identify with my digital pink cat. I’m not really into pictures of myself on Instagram. I hardly ever post things that are personal anymore. Social media needs to move on.” Karlee says.
“To gain influence on social, it’s ‘you should look like a Kardashian or Jenner.’ In the near future, what if you gain influence by expressing yourself through this digital avatar?” Stack states.
“It doesn’t even have to be human anymore. It can be any species. You can change your appearance on a daily basis just by changing avatars. It’s inevitable that people are going to embrace that.”
Whether you’re looking to trick out your digital or IRL self, the STAPLEGUTTER collection will open for 72 hours on the STAPLEGUTTER website, starting October 27 at 8:00 PM EST. All items are sold as NFTs, with physical items redeemable later. If you are a current HOLDER of SV or GCG, you may be eligible for an exclusive package that is sent out to the public.
