TURN BACK TIME: The renewed appreciation for ’90s supermodels keeps gaining ground.
Cryptograph, a luxury and celebrity NFT auction space, is getting ready to unveil the first in a collection of five model-centric images shot by fashion and art photographer Ellen von Unwerth. The subjects of her work are Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss.
Slated to go live on Oct. 21 on Cryptograph’s site, the sale will mark Von Unwerth’s first foray into digital art. A bespectacled Moss slouched in a chair with a few fingers touching her mouth and a close-up of Naomi Campbell wearing a fashion version of Mouseketeer ears are two images from 1995 that will be offered as NFTs. A 1988 image of Schiffer knee-deep in water wearing a tank bathing suit, cowboy hat and choker is also on offer.
A percentage of revenues from next week’s auction will benefit UNICEF and Fashion for Relief, a charitable organization that Campbell started in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The organization has pitched in with other natural disasters including the Haiti earthquake and Ebola health crisis.
Cryptography’s business model includes a philanthropic component with a donation being made with each transaction. With Cryptograph’s blockchain technology, each purchase is wholly owned by the buyer and it cannot be forged or destroyed.
In her lengthy career, Von Unwerth has shot for such brands as Guess, Chanel, A.P.C., Dior, Miu Miu and Victoria’s Secret among others. The German-born creative recently completed a shoot for the Australian lingerie brand Honey Birdette’s “So Kinky” campaign.
Her “Affairs” exhibition wrapped up earlier this month at Vienna’s Preiss Fine Arts gallery.
The supermodels continue to generate their own fame. Schiffer just published “Captivate! Fashion Photography from the ‘90s,” which includes shots of Moss, Campbell and other models that Schiffer shot. Moss returned to the runway in Milan for the Fendi x Versace show. Her 18-year-old daughter Lila was also on the catwalk.
Campbell returned to the Alexander McQueen runway in London on Tuesday for the first time since the designer died in 2010. She also modeled at the Lanvin show. Like Moss and Amber Valletta, another ’90s model who has been seen frequently of late, Campbell also modeled in Kim Jones’ and Donatella Versace’s collaborative show.