// In partnership with the Fondation Vasarely and Paco Rabanne, Selfridges will present Universe, a celebration of the work of optical art movement pioneer Victor Vasarely
// The project will also celebrate the launch of Paco Rabanne’s Spring Summer 2022 collection
Selfridges is joining forces with Paco Rabanne and Fondation Vasarely with a project that looks into the future, bringing fashion, art, retail, theater and NFTs all under one roof.
The partnership will mean that Selfridges is set to become the world’s first retailer to sell fixed price NFTs over the counter.
The luxury department store will present Universe, to create one-of-a-kind shop windows, pop-ups, in-store art exhibitions and NFTs.
READ MORE:
- Selfridges revenue drops 40% after store closures
- New Selfridges owners planning luxury hotel at flagship Oxford Street store
Vasarely is known as an innovator of 20th-century abstract art, best known for his pioneering geometric designs and Universe will include an exhibition of 55 works by the artist, none of which have been shown in the UK in over 50 years.
37 will be available for sale, alongside a series of specially commissioned NFTs created by London-based NFT platform, Substance.
The NFTs, which will be priced from £2,000 to £100,000, feature either rare artworks by Victor Vasarely or one of the ‘Unwearables’, the first 12 iconic dresses ever created by Paco Rabanne.
This marks Selfridges’ first foray into the metaverse and it plans to simplify access for its customers, too, by making it possible to buy NFTs with a regular bank card over the counter — no need for crypto currency here.
The project will also celebrate the launch of Paco Rabanne’s Spring Summer 2022 collection for which Creative Director Julien Dossena has taken the work of Vasarely as his starting point.
Ready-to-wear and accessories from the new Paco Rabanne collection will launch throughout the season at Selfridges, available to buy or rent.
Funds raised from the sale of NFTs will go to the Fondation Vasarely Museum, Aix-en-Provence, an ‘Architectonic Centre’ for the artist’s archive and large-scale installations, to support restoration of key artworks.
Visitors will be able to experience the optical tricks, illusions and kinetic energy of Vasarely’s work across Selfridges Oxford Street store, including the storefront where each of the 24 windows will be individually wrapped in Vasarely’s iconic designs.
A virtual reality environment (a metaverse) has also been created, where shoppers will be able to interact with Vasarely’s calibrated patterns.
The metaverse will be accessible online at Decentraland and NFTs will be available to purchase in the Oxford Street store or online via Substance’s platform from Friday 28 January 2022.
Selfridges Executive Buying & Merchandising Director Sebastian Manes said: “As Selfridges looks to the future, we continue to find inspiration in the past. In the case of Victor Vasarely and Paco Rabanne, we have more than fifty years of proposals for the future to explore. I love the idea of bringing Vasarely’s art to a social space like Selfridges – alongside the distinct identity of Paco Rabanne – and using their vision as way to bring emotion, connection and accessibility to the experience.”
At the end of 2021, it was confirmed that the Weston family has sold the luxury retail group Selfridges to retailer Signa Holding and property company Central Group.
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
