By: Markos Papadatos, Senior Editor
Greek-American actor and filmmaker George Kosturos chatted with HNA’s Markos Papadatos about his new NFT project MLLN, and the digital age.
Can you tell us about your latest NFT project? How did it come about?
We are so excited to announce MLLN, which is much more than your average NFT project, but the birth of a meta-brand. We’ve teamed up with Finn Rush-Taylor and Joey Khamis, two of the top sneaker designers in the world, to bridge the gap between the digital and physical world of fashion. Joey Khamis most recently collaborated with Reebok and Cardi B to design the ‘Cardi B x Reebok Classic’ and is currently freelancing for Ye (formally known as Kanye West).
Finn Rush-Taylor is currently working on Adidas’ top-tier projects including the future of 4D. The project came about because of how undervalued artists and designers are in most creative fields. This new wave in web3 has created an avenue for designers to become independent.
What makes it unique/stand out?
Not only are we creating digital footwear for the metaverse, but we are bringing our community fully wearable 3D printed sneakers. 3D printing is enabling designers to create what was previously perceived as impossible.
As more corporate giants are entering the metaverse, it feels as though the artists will continue to be left behind. MLLN is here to flip the script. What if the most compensated people were the ones who actually designed the product? MLLN is doing just that. It is a brand built by designers, for designers.
How does it feel to be an actor and entrepreneur in the digital age? (now with technology and streaming being so prevalent)
For me, it feels like the most exciting time to be an artist in any industry. The landscape is changing so rapidly in a way that benefits the artist like never before. I’m exploring new ways to utilize web3 in film, music, and fashion.
MLLN is our first step into the metaverse, we plan to make a lasting footprint for many years to come.
How did you come up with the name MLLN?
We wanted a strong and unique name that was the epitome of what we were trying to do, which is building a future for artists to thrive in the fashion industry. Web3 has become such a promising frontier for just that.
In Greek, if you were to describe something that has a promising future, you would say “έχει μέλλον.” When I pitched the brand being called “MLLN” to the team, it was a no-brainer. The next text from Ben, the brains of our project, was simply “that’s it.”, and MLLN was born.
What does the word success mean to you?
Success for us is freeing designers from the corporate chains that restrict creativity and undervalue design as a whole. We really want to inspire the next generation of creators to think outside the box and be able to support their craft independently.
A lot of NFT projects see success as selling out their collection and having a high floor price, which is great, but we really want to shift our focus towards building a brand and a community that gives back to artists in a way that was never possible before web3.
TO learn more about George Kosturos, follow him on Twitter, and for more on MLLN, follow it on Twitter.
