JW Anderson's Viral Patchwork Cardigan is Now an NFT

Harry Styles knows how to start a trend or two – even if he's just rehearsing. In February last year, the British pop star wore a multicoloured patchwork cardigan from the JW Anderson S/S 20 menswear collection during rehearsals for a Today show appearance. During lockdown, many turned to arts and crafts as an outlet for creativity – LA-based artist and content producer Liv Huffman crocheted her own version of the cardigan, posted a video of it on social media, and a new TikTok trend was born. After Huffman's attempt at making the cardigan went viral, many tried their hand at replicating it, leading Jonathan Anderson to share a free, downloadable pattern and tutorial of how to make it. The hashtag #harrystylescardigan has now reached over 86 million views to-date, while Huffman's cardigan currently sits alongside JW Anderson's original version in the V&A's fashion space.

Now, the iconic colourblock patchwork cardigan has been turned into an NFT. Meticulously crafted over 300 hours by xydrobe’s in-house team of VFX artists, the cardigan's yarn was built in 3D before being weaved together for each of the six different knit patterns. 'Every purposeful imperfection, colour and decision that JW Anderson made in the building of this cardigan is honoured and perfectly replicated,' says xydrobe.

Following the NFT boom earlier this year, fashion brands are racing to assert themselves in this new digital sphere. Burberry, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Diesel and many more have all produced their own NFTs, while the JW Anderson cardigan NFT marks the Irish designer's first foray into the blockchain.

Proceeds from the NFT auction will be donated to LGBTQ+ charity akt, which supports young people aged 16-25 in the UK who are facing or experiencing homelessness or living in a hostile environment. The auction will open on Sunday, 12th December at 19:00 UTC and will run for 48 hours.

Sign up to receive an alert for the date of the auction lot at www.xydrobe.com.