Entrepreneur Nicole Steel is on a mission to fuse old-world craftsmanship with Web3 technology, in an effort to fight against counterfeiting and onboard more people to blockchain by speaking their language.
On Tuesday evening during Paris Haute Couture Week, she unveiled a collection of luxury connected cuffs for the Apple Watch—the latest product offering from La Maison Steel, the brand she founded in 2019.
Her “born on blockchain” SmrtKuffs—which start at $290—range from entry-level leathers from French tanneries through exotics, all the way to a limited edition, made-to-order high jewelry version crafted by a Paris-based atelier.
That rendition features over 400 VVS diamonds totaling 2.5 carats, set in white gold palladium and requiring some 136 hours of hand workmanship. The cuffs are designed so that Apple’s smartwatch can be worn under the wrist, so your messages don’t flash up for all to see.
Each smartwatch accessory features an integrated NFC chip that lets users access both a digital ID and information on provenance secured via an NFT on Polygon, an Ethereum scaling network.
Where exotic leathers are concerned—all International Crocodilians Farmers Association certified—the digital passports feature a product’s CITES certification, i.e. the additional permit necessary for trade with certain species, ensuring sustainability and traceability.
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“I love old-world craftsmanship and luxury but I wanted to connect it with blockchain technology and the value that brings,” said Steel, the former real estate investment analyst, citing concerns about the global counterfeit market as the genesis of the idea.
“I really want to be a part of that solution,” she said. In fact, the area has always proved of interest—the subject of Steel’s senior thesis was international money laundering.
Steel’s Paris presentation also introduced the limited edition bag line where her blockchain native brand began. The bags start at just shy of $10,000 apiece. Like the SmrtKuffs, they are also NFC chip-enabled, and the most exclusive of the bags are sold with additional NFT digital twins.
Steel was motivated by a combination of aesthetics and pragmatism. While she’s “obsessed with data” and has always been a fan of wearable smart devices, Steel was “absolutely offended by the look of them,” she told Decrypt.
She was also conscious of the need to onboard more people—women in particular—to blockchain technology.
“I wanted to ease people in by speaking their language,” she said. “People shut down if it’s not on their terms, so I thought, why not just slide it in there? You scan the NFC chip just like you’d do a menu.”