It's no secret fashion has been a staple of pop culture ever since the dawn of the modern era. Brands like BAPE, Yeezy, and Anti Social Social Club have had their own respective time in the spotlight, garnering the loyalty of millions.

Enter the NFT market. We've seen trends like 8-bit pixelated PFP collections from Punks derivatives, colourful and playful PFPs like Doodles and Little Lemon Friends, and now, original 3D models as NFTs waiting to be integrated into the metaverse.

As a streetwear/fashion fan, you may be asking yourself: Where are all the fashion-related NFT collections? There's space for it in the market, so why hasn't it become popularized?

Well, we began to see the rise of fashion NFTs last year with partnerships between sportswear conglomerates and prominent NFT communities. Take Adidas' NFTs, for example. Adidas leveraged its established consumer base with BAYC's success to pioneer the mainstream adoption of NFTs. Nike's on the same wavelength.

You also have sophisticated grassroots projects like C-01 and Reincarnated as an NFT budding into the sphere to mark their place as leaders of the NFT fashion community.

Don't get me wrong, this is great. Power to the fashion community. But where is the love for streetwear? I want to see street culture in the NFT world from community-built projects, not from billionaire companies.

What is Crookz?

Unlike the competition mentioned above, I have yet to see this one blow up on Twitter. And it's got all the ingredients to become an icon in the community. What do I mean by this, you may ask?

Just scroll through their website and take a look for yourself.

10,000 original 3D models with variation in its base models, jewelry, eyes, grills, drip, guns... you name it. All 1-1 NFTs with randomized traits.

I'm honestly in awe of the artwork. Some of these NFTs remind me of peak 6ix9ine with the rainbow grills, chains, and multi-coloured hair. Out with the darkness (I'm looking at you, Psychedelic Anonymous) and in with the expression of colour!

The story

So yeah, dope artwork. But as we all know by now, artwork doesn't cut it on its own. The project needs life. It needs a compelling story with the full support of a team that knows what they're doing.

And who would've thought? Crookz has all these elements in the bag.

The story behind the project goes something like this:

One day, Nixon (aka Trevor Farbo), a big shot at an entertainment marketing agency with affection for street and pop art, decided to finally stand firm against centralization and the corruption that accompanies it.

He's always been an activist of decentralization. By using his artistic talents to create satirical/cultural pieces, he believes in acknowledging the failures of traditional systems while rolling in with the new.

His moniker literally comes from US President Nixon. It's a testament to the downfall of the US dollar, as in 1971, Nixon ended the convertibility of the US dollar to gold. Tremendous power was given to the Federal Reserve and thus, changed the tides of centralization as we see it today.

And, as Nixon famously stated prior to leaving office:

Crookz is a true "f*ck the system" movement. We needed something like this in the NFT world.

And, with the help of a Web3 specialist and a developer, Trevor hopes to build a strong community of like-minded individuals. Catch me in the Discord server trying to get WL'd.

The marketing

Trevor isn't a fool. On his profile, you can see he has a background in digital marketing and other applicable industries. An entrepreneur who has dipped their toes in the startup world knows that effective marketing is one of the components that can lead to the growth or eventual death of the project.

With Trevor's digital marketing experience, he knows there needs to be something more than organic Twitter engagement to win the hearts of NFTers.

Influencer partnerships, supply drops, VIP influencer boxes, and a focus on TikTok are all strategies that have been proven to work in the initial stages of a company. Nixon knows this and is working hard to execute all these tactics. 

To get whitelisted, you need to provide value to the community. This means positive vibes in the chat, creating art to support the cause and retweeting giveaways. Discord server boosts are always welcomed.

The roadmap

The roadmap is categorized by "operations" carried out in the Crookz nation. I love this roadmap because currently, there's a focus on community-building and the artwork over everything.

Holders are called "citizens of the nation" and will benefit from airdrops, merch, and other tangible goodies.

Nixon is also forming a community-led voting system for the "Nixon Reserve Community Treasury." It might even be a DAO in the future, who knows.

With their Mint Map, whitelisted members and early adopters will benefit from rewards while the team allocates funds to the Community Treasury.

Over time, citizens of the nation will cast votes for electing representatives, details of the second roadmap, marketing expenditures for growth, metaverse integration, and so much more.

Oh, and I should also mention this:

Wen mint?

At the moment, the mint date is TBA. However, the devs recently announced that they're on track for a mid-January reveal. Just another week, and we're there!

Mint price will start at Ξ0.08, though it is subject to change depending on the cost of ETH.

I cannot wait for the reveal. This is an upcoming collection that could easily reach blue-chip status under proper management.

Let me know what you think of Crookz down below!

Peace ✌️

Sources: 

https://crookznft.io/

I am not a financial advisor. Please do your own due diligence before making a decision based on my article, as I am not responsible or liable for your investment decisions.