Fashion’s Favorite Water Partner Mints Charity NFTs With Buzzy Phygital Artist Sara Shakeel

Evian has partnered with groundbreaking phygital artist Sara Shakeel for its first NFT series. The digital art works created with Web 3.0 technology outfit Renaissance, feature mesmeric sparkling iterations of the French Alps’ glacial landscape where evian water is sourced.

To minimize the brand’s energy footprint, the evian NFTs have been minted on energy efficient and self-upgradeable Proof-of Stake blockchain Tezos which consumes two million times less energy than Ethereum based platforms.

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Tezos was also the platform of choice for Guerlain’s recently announced ‘Reaverse’ CryptoBee NFT project which supports the rewilding of France’s Milliére Valley conservation area.

The limited edition run of 20 digital artworks will drop tonight at 6 p.m. CET. on evian’s NFT microsite. They will sell for $545, payable via regular credit card in addition to cryptocurrency, to make the buying process more accessible. British department store Selfridges and British designer Roksanda Ilincic adopted a similar stance for their own NFT launches earlier this year though they did not offer a crypto option.

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Self-taught multi-disciplinary artist Shakeel is known for her use of glitter and Swarovski crystals to create both digital and physical collages on photography and three-dimensional objects.

Recent Shakeel projects include a crystalized rendering of a resplendent and heavily pregnant Rihanna and previous fashion collaborations encompass Browns Fashion and Linda Farrow eyewear.

All profits, including those from secondary market sales of the evian X Sara Shakeel NFTs will benefit London’s Somerset House Young Talent Fund which funds training for the next generation of artists. This resonated profoundly with the self-taught Shakeel. “Supporting the creativity and innovation of aspiring digital artists,” she says, is “a cause which is so close to my heart.”

For evian, whose IRL collaborations, including those with Alexander Wang, Kenzo, Moncler and the late Virgil Abloh, founder of Off-White, generally revolve around reusable glass water bottles, sustainability is a key brand pillar so finding an energy efficient Web 3.0 partner was paramount.

“Using Tezos technology enabled us to be able to do this in an energy efficient way, with each NFT having less of a carbon footprint than sending an email,” says Lucille Moreau, the brand’s Director of Culture & Experience.

“We are so thrilled to be taking this leap into the digital art world with our first NFT, enabling our evian community to interact with and enjoy the brand in a new and exciting way.”

Such collaborations demonstrate evian’s cultural and community based approach to marketing championed by Moreau, an ethos mirroring that of the NFT universe.

Danone owned evian operates very much like the luxury fashion labels with which it partners. It recently hosted a free, two-day immersive pop-up in East London’s Shoreditch. The experience, created in collaboration with Shakeel featured a mirrored infinity room of crystal festooned installations such as umbrellas, analogue telephones, skateboards and even a crystalized sushi bar. It was accessed via a secret door behind an evian stocked fridge.

Both these projects with Sara Shakeel were conceived to promote the brand’s recently launched sparkling water.