Raghavendra Rathore becomes first Indian menswear designer to launch NFT, profits to support charitable foundation

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Dec 16, 2021

Men’s traditional wear designer Raghavendra Rathore has launched a collection of Non-Fungible Tokens made from his personal artwork to raise funds for his NGO, the Raghavendra Rathore Foundation.

Rathore’s NFTs were the first to be launched by an Indian menswear designer, GQ India reported. NFTs are strictly digital assets which use blockchain technology to determine who the owner of the asset is. This also prevents the asset from being duplicated. 
 
Rathore launched the NFTs in association with Fashion Design Council of India x Lakme Fashion Week and they retail on WazirX, a platform for buying and selling NFTs. The NFTs are designed to raise awareness about the work of the Raghavendra Rathore Foundation and all proceeds from their sale will be used for the NGO. The first of the set sold out 10 minutes after the launch. 

“WazirX is a unique space for us to test, learn and trial digital innovations that embody the values of Gurukul School of Design and celebrate creativity amongst our communities,” said Rathore, GQ India reported. “It feels like a natural next step, going beyond and bringing the Raghavendra Rathore universe into an established environment. It has been fantastic to bring this new experience to life. NFTs are surely a new tool that is bringing us a step closer to becoming eternal.” 
 
The set of NFTs feature collage style mixes of traditional iconography, Rathore’s branding, and animated elements. By launching NFTs, designers and artists can create a new income stream from their previous work and fans of the creators can own a unique digital asset.
 
“Art collectors, artists and designers alike face major copyright issues, their work can be reproduced endlessly and without permission, diminishing its value,” Rathore told Elle India. “But now, by linking their digital work to an NFT, which allows for it to be authenticated through the token’s unique code.”