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Luxury brands from Louis Vuitton to Moncler are seeking to position themselves as an integral part of a wider cultural landscape to ensure their relevance stretches beyond being simply commercial entities.
Now Walmart too is upping its cultural credentials and harnessing Web3 in the process.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop alongside the transformative power of Black culture, Walmart is partnering with Web3 creative studio, People of Crypto Lab to launch Cultureverse, an immersive, gamified experience on the Spatial metaverse.
Cultureverse pays tribute to Hip-Hop’s early visionaries while exploring the genre’s evolution and ongoing cultural resonance in terms of its impact on art, music, and fashion.
The experience also aims to broaden access to technology for Black creators. Walmart will build on its Black & Unlimited platform geared to supercharge amplify Black creators, makers and entrepreneurs with custom programming and collaborations.
“We are always seeking out new and innovative ways to connect with our customers in spaces and places where they are spending their time,” Justin Breton, Director of Brand Experiences and Strategic Partnerships at Walmart said in a statement.
“Cultureverse presents a unique opportunity to bring Walmart’s Black & Unlimited platform to the virtual world for the first time – all with the goal of inspiring a new generation of Black creators, entrepreneurs and culture builders and creating real-world impact in the process.”
Having filed trademarks for the sale of virtual goods alongside those for tokens and currency at the end of 2021, Walmart first entered the metaverse last year with experiences on Roblox. Its Store No.8 incubator arm also teamed up with Outlier Ventures in June on an accelerator program for Web3 related startups.
Launched in 2021, People of Crypto’s Web3-first creative studio has made it its mission to highlight the visibility of underrepresented communities, combining design, technology and brand-building to create culturally relevant digital experiences that bridge fashion, gaming and entertainment — using Web3 to drive connection and shape culture.
Last year to celebrate Pride Month it partnered with L’Oréal owned NYX Cosmetics and The Sandbox on a collection of 8,430 avatars incorporating traits such as diverse ethnicities, sexual orientations, and gender identifications, as well as different makeup looks.
With platforms from SYKY to ZTX releasing programs supporting creators, POC Lab’s extending its remit to champion Black creators specifically represents an important milestone said Simone Berry, Co-founder of POClab. “It aims to inspire a new generation of Black creators and foster an environment of innovation and inclusivity, while continuing our mission to drive meaningful digital connections between brands and consumers.”
People of Crypto Lab was founded by Barry and Akbar Hamid of Fifth Column and Fifth Crypto. Key partners and investors include The Sandbox, Animoca Brands, Gaingels, ConcreteRose and Tess Ventures.