Friends, apologies for the re-publish.
Had a snafu with Apple’s cover art requirements. Hopefully this fixes it (fair warning, might have to try again… but hey, who doesn’t like to see a little sausage making!)… Back to our original programming.
Welcome back to another episode of Medium Energy! We have a fun and enlightening episode for you all today: a chat with Dani Loftus, the founder and CEO of DRAUP.
Draup is one of the leading platforms and marketplaces out there for digital fashion and accessories. Think of them as a blend between E-Bay and Etsy, but for digital luxury goods. You can also liken them to a ‘digital fashion house’ of sorts, designing their own items while cultivating discussion & community around the latest trends.
This might seem like a rather esoteric topic, but think again… The level of adoption and revenue from digital fashion and self expression in virtual worlds is eye popping.
It’s one of the largest, if not the largest way to make money today in 'the metaverse'. Look no further than Fortnite, who’s made billions of $$ from digital cosmetic items (aka ‘skins).
Even if you’re not into fashion, stay tuned… This conversation expands into a variety of compelling & fundamental topics. To name a few:
NFTs: We dive more broadly into the topic of NFTs, discussing how to extract real value and utility, and how shes navigated these various bull & bear cycles
Identity & Self Expression: We get philosophical and discuss the the future of identity and cultural expression, in this next generation of the internet
GenAI: Of course, we’d be remiss to not hit on how AI is going to play a role in both building her business and digital fashion writ large
Entrepreneurship: And for the aspiring entrepreneurs out there, we also cover some of Dani's personal experiences in building her first business. Her story holds valuable lessons in having a bias for action, how to just get started, and how to learn by doing.
I had a blast in this convo with Dani. Confident y'all will enjoy it as well! So without further adieu, I bring you... Dani Loftus.
Oh! And and if you do indeed enjoy this episode… would beyond appreciate a quick rating of this podcast. Really helps us spread the message and grow :-)
E7: Daniella Loftus | The future of luxury goods, self-expression, and creating utility with NFTs