Inspire - Empower - Educate. This is our mission. This is what we do with each issue of Raine Magazine. We are proud to introduce our first Multiverse Issue, where we introduce you to tomorrow's stars in NFTs, Crypto, and the Metaverse. As the Founder of Raine Magazine, it is only fitting that Raine, a platform since 2007 which covers the future of fashion, culture, and technology, releases its first issue that weaves in how blockchain is vastly shaping what commerce and entertainment will become. This future is referred to as the next generation of the internet or Web3. It is a new paradigm that is greatly changing the landscape of how we interact and connect. Here is a little about my personal journey down the rabbit hole of Web3 which led to the inspiration behind this issue. My first brush with crypto was in 2013 when I attempted to buy a machine to mine Bitcoin. Unfortunately, that adventure failed miserably. It then picked up again when I bought Ethereum in 2017 and in 2020 decided to binge-read whitepapers to understand the platforms and protocols that are most future-proof and would be sound investments. During that year, I realized how important this new and fast-evolving industry will be and became hugely passionate about educating and sharing with as many creatives as possible. This inspired me to become a cryptocurrency podcast producer, advisor, and speaker in the space. In 2022, I launched a new podcast on the Pink Kangaru Podcast Network, called Crypto for Creatives. A few months later, Raine Drops NFT Art House was born. Now, take your journey through the pages to discover some of the coolest talent, technology, and destinations that we will be hearing more about in the coming months and years. Enjoy! Truly,
Nova Lorraine Founder, Creative Director & Editor in Chief
Photo Credit: NFT Star Award Winners
Photo Credit: Mel Thadea
Photo Credit: Mel Thadea RAINE: Why did you choose to pursue fashion design? IRINA: Like many people who become fashion designers, I was creating dresses for my dolls when I was a child. Later on, I started to make clothes for myself and my friends, so I didn’t have to think long when the time came to choose what I was going to study in university. RAINE: How did you discover digital fashion design? MEL: I always had an interest in storytelling mediums like fashion and film. I noticed that costumes in films can be so
exciting and curious. Now as a visual designer, I like to help fashion designers to present their designs in a fun manner which is only able to be done in the virtual world. IRINA: I already had many years of experience as a fashion designer when I first saw a work created in CLO3D. It impressed me, but for some reason I thought that it was too difficult to learn and forgot about it for a while until COVID-19 came. Then, I found myself struggling without any work and it was a perfect time to study something new. RAINE: What inspirations do
you have for your designs? MEL: My inspiration comes from different sources; it can be from a photograph, a poem, or a culture. For example, with the Kintsugi project, I was inspired by its craft and philosophy, a beauty in imperfections. We wanted to explore different elements of kintsugi like gold cracks, pottery, etc. that paid homage to Japanese culture but also had a modern interpretation. MEL: Ever-changing. I can’t say I have one style; I think there are still so many different techniques and styles left unexplored.
RAINE: Do you prefer digital fashion design or physical fashion design? Why? MEL: I have no preference. I think both have their own uniqueness and function. IRINA: At the moment, I prefer digital fashion design because it gives me more freedom in experimenting. Also, I don’t have to spend money on any fabrics or trims because I create them by myself. RAINE: What are three things that your fans don’t know about you? BOTH: 1. We’re both multilingual. Between both of us, we speak four languages -English, Russian, Indonesian
Photo Credit: Irina Blagochevskaya
and Chinese. 2. We’re both digital nomads. We met through Instagram but funnily enough we lived in almost similar countries like the United Kingdom and Indonesia. 3. We’re originally from Indonesia (Mel) & Russia (Irina). RAINE: What words of wisdom can you share with others on a similar journey? MEL: Just do it. Often you’ll find th at it’s not as scary as you imagine. IRINA: Practising and studying is a key to success in this field. RAINE: If you could style one celebrity, who would it be? BOTH: We’re not sure but we think Lil Nas X would be fun
since his style can be both masculine and feminine. RAINE: How has your work as a graphic designer and motion designer affected your fashion designs? MEL: As a creator and director, my background helps me to translate from storytelling into visual mediums and to communicate with people in different disciplines. RAINE: Do you have any exciting plans coming up? MEL: I’m excited to explore different stories and collaborate with more artists from different backgrounds.
Photographer: Adam Hendershott @adamhendershott Production Design: Lindsey Ferguson @lindseyaferguson Stylist: Flora Ronzone @sunny_goth Grooming & Makeup: Monique Paredes
RAINE: Lana, thanks for taking a moment to sit down and talk with us. It’s an honor to be the first to interview a real alien! So, please tell our readers about your home world of Trion? LANA: Trion is a planet that sits under three moons in an area in the universe that is not visible by your current viewing tools. It is mainly populated in two regions: Alchemia and Segoria. There is a third sizeable region on the planet that is known as Mila. Mila is a dry barron black sand region where the underground sliders live. It is highly discouraged for any Trion to venture there as most do not leave the region alive. The other two regions are beauthiful feasts of the eyes. Segoria, is filled with colorful clay areas, with the red clay being the most prevalent. It is a mountainous area with colorful blooming plants. The mountains serve as homes for many of the Segorians. My home is Alchemia. It is filled mostly with turquoise waters of various sizes and shapes, mimicking some of your rivers, lakes and oceans. It is filled with tall tree like plants that stretch over 100 feet in the sky. Our homes sit on the flat areas of these trees and we use sky canoes to often travel from our homes down to the waters below. The animal like beings on our planet are not used for food, as food as you know it does not exist on Trion. We primarily survive from the waters from our trees and a gem-like edible berry for additional nourishment. Our animals and people are uniquely connected and some our people can communicate telepathically with the animals’ leaders. RAINE: Apart from skin color, how are Trions different from humans?
PHOTO CREDITS: MARC ANGELES, JOE BRYANT AND DOUGLAS FRIEDMAN
Photo Credits: Unsplash
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arja Stephens is the Co-Founder of Metaverse Inclusive, a media brand, and The MI Women, a global women collective, on a mission to advance the impact of more women by using Web3 and Immersive Technologies. She is the Miami Chapter President of the Global VR/AR Association that brings together over 60K brilliant minds and 4K businesses across the globe fostering collaboration on immersive technologies. Tarja serves as an impact strategy advisor on several women-led Web3 communities and initiatives and is a board member of the non-profit Impact Mission Miami, which focuses on raising awareness and cultivating the conscious, purpose-driven business movement in the Miami region.