As it marks two decades of existence, popular streetwear brand The Hundred is opening its next flagship store—and it’s in the metaverse.
Today, The Hundreds announced the opening of an immersive 3D indoor store some. placea metaverse platform that pivots on accepting ecommerce and providing experiential ways to participate in product drops. As the some.place private beta test comes online this week, The Hundreds is the first showcase of how the platform manages brands and communities.
Bobby “Bobby Hundreds” said Kim Decrypt in a statement that the virtual storefront is a recreation of its real-world store in the Fairfax neighborhood of Los Angeles, with the goal of providing an interactive and social shopping experience for fans.
“We build our stores how we think they are in the metaverse,” he said Decrypt. “This unique digital experience is intended for our community to come together, shop, and socialize, rather than gamification.”
Rendered with Unreal Engine 5, the same software used by many of the biggest developers in the video game industry, the some.place storefront provides a level of detail and realism not found in metaverse gaming experiences such as Decentralized and The Sandbox.
But it’s not meant to be a realistic recreation, as seen with cracks in the streets revealing the lava underneath.
Hundred will use its some.place location to offer exclusive clothing drops not available elsewhere, including some that will only be offered by own-brand holders. Adam Bomb Squad NFT Collection.
Additionally, users can earn rewards through digital and real-world interactions, bridging the gap between the two ends of the brand’s presence.
Some.place was founded in 2021 and may be best known for getting a seal of approval from actress Brie Larson (“Captain Marvel”) in March 2022. Larson shared a video in his “lil corner” of the metaverse, but some fans did not appreciate his steps into a NFT-filled online space, prompt backlash on social media.
“He’s an incredible advocate,” says some.place co-founder Lana Hopkins Decrypt of Larson’s alliance on the platform. “I think his audience is still early in the Web3 journey – but there’s hope, right?”
Some.places used to have a more social vibe, but as The wider metaverse hype has failed In the past year, Hopkins said that the startup has really embraced its new focus as a destination for brands to build online stores and experiences around physical and digital drops alike. Hopkins and co-founder Juliana Di Simone are e-commerce veterans.
“We actually started chatting with Bobby about a year ago about how there was nothing for brands that was beautiful—that it felt elevated, from an aesthetic point of view, ” said Hopkins. Decrypt. “And also that actually makes sense for people outside of Web3 bubble, so to speak.”
Initially, some.place launched its mobile app, which features an Instagram-like social feed of immersive destinations that users can immerse themselves in. It will also expand to the web, and gradually open for other brands to build.
Generative AI tools is in the mix to help companies create their own custom worlds with little upside, and while some.place’s previously NFTs—which opens up personal gallery spaces like Brie Larson’s—does flowfuture NFTs offered through the platform will be created by Ethereum scaling network Polygon.
Hopkins said he didn’t want to “metaverse” term, which is used to represent so many different types of experiences that it may have lost its meaning. For him, the goal of some.place is to extend the ability of users and communities to access immersive social opportunities and brand experiences directly from an accessible app.
“What we think of somewhere,” he said, “is exciting experiences in the palm of your hand.”
