Despite crypto being on a downturn, builders are optimistic about the future, with each NFT meetup gathering more and more creators looking to network, discuss ideas, and talk over novel use cases.
Following the crypto market downturn, skeptics keep painting a gloomy picture of the future. However, Indrė Viltrakytė, leading the WEB3 fashion venture ‘The Rebels’, has shared that market volatility has not dampened the optimism of the builder community. Having participated in the hottest NFT events of 2022, she has shared firsthand insights reflecting the prevailing mood of excitement and the main trends that resonated across different meetups.
Events – a backdrop for networking
While most of the NFT conferences’ agendas have an impressive line-up of visionary topics, often they play only a secondary role. The main selling point remains the opportunity to network and blend into the community.
“Since the market is nascent, there are still a lot more questions than there are answers. Therefore, everyone is eager to bounce off ideas of one another, which helps bring clarity and focus to their work,” Viltrakytė commented.
Keeping the party going
Despite some painting a ‘doom and gloom’ future for all-things-crypto, Viltrakytė says the NFT creator community remains optimistic about the industry’s future, and it clearly shows in the attitude with which they approach discussions or present ideas.
“Builders that continue traveling to different events to network, learn, exchange ideas as well as present their own are in high spirits and not at all shaken up about the current state of crypto. Everyone is bullish, despite short-term market uncertainty, and being certain that the ‘dark clouds will pass’ keeps the creativity flowing.”
Rising number of women builders
In 2021, women accounted for only 16% of the NFT art market. However, the scale is slowly leveling out — Viltrakytė noted a noticeable increase of women attendees in NFT events, keen to present their ideas. In some events, women even outnumbered men, showing their growing interest in WEB3 art and its use cases.
“Not that long ago, the industry had a strong label of being a ‘boys only’ club. Now, albeit slowly, but the predominance of a single gender is clearly diminishing, which is incredibly exciting for a few reasons. First, women are proactively killing the stereotype that they aren’t tech-savvy, and secondly, the more diverse ideas are floating around in the market, the more innovative products are likely to be launched because of it,” she commented.
Less chit-chat – more discussion
While most of the NFT events strive to strike a work-play balance, Viltrakytė said flashing lights and glitter paled before workshops and discussions. She noted a few experiences that stood out, one of which was an entire week of mini panels held at the ‘We are Web3’ conference, where women could gather and learn.
“I think this will strongly impact how these events are held next year; less music – more spaces to discuss ideas and network with those who can help bring them to life.”
Digital fashion on the world stage
Currently, the topic of WEB3 fashion and digital wearables stands out as one of the key narratives in the NFT scene. According to Viltrakytė, fashion will be an important link between physical and virtual experiences, streamlining entry into the virtual world and helping to create a true-to-self digital identity.
“Digital wearables will play a crucial role in virtual worlds, as they will enable users to create avatars through which they can experience the metaverse. In the grand scheme of things, WEB3 will redefine the fashion industry as we know it in a variety of verticals, including self-expression, social networking, industry’s sustainability, its creative potential, and others,” Viltrakytė commented, noting that the curiosity to explore these possibilities is what led to co-founding ‘The Rebels’.
“WEB3 and NFTs have opened many new doors for both established fashion houses and emerging designers. It is very exciting to be part of the force shaping the future of the industry with ideas that, not that long ago, seemed like science fiction but now are becoming the new reality.”
