This was the one that got away — but it speaks so strongly to the FLUX worldview
(and within that, my own practice) that it remains a career highlight.
Tommy Flags was the fullest expression
of our endeavours to use the power of web3 technologies to drive a more collaborative,
participatory and personalised relationship between brands, creators and consumers.
It lived at the intersection of streetwear, game culture and drop mechanics, and it was
designed to elicit irrational desire and a strong sense of community around limited edition
product and members-only experiences, both physical and virtual.
Sadly, this project was cancelled a few short weeks before launch, and in the face heavy
macro-economic headwinds ‐ a challenge further amplified by the departure of Tommy Hilfiger’s CEO
to Hugo Boss ‐ and a huge black hole left in the books following their
withdrawal from the Russian market in protest against its invasion of Ukraine.
Consequently, Flags never saw the light of day. But with the advent of new EU legislation
around digital product passports, I suspect the vision that underpins it will live to fight another day.
Until then, maybe it’s best to think of it as a piece of high fidelity speculative design,
and one that would be foundational to much of our other, more tangible work in the space.
Project team
Stephan van den Brink, Sinesio Couceiro, Rene Drieënhuizen, Hon-Ming Gianotti, Emma Gilpin, Erkan Kaman, Delano Kamp, Paula Kina, Mark Knol, Lisa Kobzina, Dan Lewis, Mischa Loppies, Ben Lunt, Jamie Moodley, Moises Nevett, Reinder Nijhoff, Jane de Ridder, Dennis de Rooij, Antoine Tannous
Agency
Monks
Related project
Hugo Boss, XP