Hermès is planning to step into the metaverse following multiple trademark filings

Hermès recently filed trademark applications covering non-fungible tokens (NFTs), cryptocurrencies, and the Metaverse.

On August 26, the French luxury fashion brand reportedly applied to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a trademark to offer downloadable software to manage virtual goods and user authentication services using e-commerce technology, among others.

Its applications mentioned providing 'retail store services featuring virtual goods,' organising fashion and trade shows in 'online virtual, augmented or mixed reality environments,' and 'providing an online marketplace for buyers and sellers of virtual goods.'

It is believed the fashion brand was prompted to file for Web3-related trademarks following a legal case with NFT creator Mason Rothschild.

In January, Hermès accused Rothschild of ripping off its brand with his MetaBirkins NFT collection. Hermès has a brand line of rare, prestigious bags called Birkin. It accused Rothschild of profiting off its brand name with the MetaBirkin NFT sales, albeit after adding the 'Meta-' prefix.

Since then, the fashion house seems to have been watching the metaverse space closely. In the annual shareholder meeting in April, executive chairman Axel Dumas said the brand is 'curious and interested' about the metaverse as they believe it could be a good communications tool.

Based on its trademark filings, we can expect metaverse fashion shows from the Hermès brand – something that has been done before. Decentraland organised its first-ever Metaverse Fashion Week in March, featuring appearances from other iconic fashion houses, including Tommy Hilfiger, Perry Ellis, Dolce & Gabbana, Elie Saab, and others.

As more brands embrace the Web3 space, it is doubtful that Hermes will be the last fashion icon to file for metaverse trademark applications, something Web3 fashion fans will be happy to hear.

Photo: Reuters