Model Bella Hadid has launched her own collection of non-fungible tokens, called CY-B3LLA, joining the list of celebrities who tried their hand at digital collectibles during the 2021 and 2022 boom in the market.
Hadid announced the project on Instagram in May 2022. The collection was created with the digital fashion company reBASE and consists of 11,111 tokens, each based on 3D scans of the model rendered in different looks and settings.
A community, not just pictures
In her announcement Hadid described the tokens as invitations to a new online community rather than simple images. She wrote that the project was meant to encourage connection, compassion and travel, and said the plan was to grow it with real-world locations and events where holders could meet her.
Owners of an NFT hold a token recorded on a blockchain that points to a digital item. The format had been promoted by artists, brands and athletes as a way to sell digital work directly to fans, but prices across the market were falling sharply by the time CY-B3LLA arrived in spring 2022.
Life in the spotlight
Hadid, then 25, has spoken in past interviews about the pressure of being seen as a role model while growing up in public, and about her mental health. She is one of the most followed models on social media, with tens of millions of followers on Instagram.
She first appeared on catwalks in 2014 and has worked for many of the major fashion houses. Her sister Gigi Hadid and brother Anwar Hadid also work as models.
Sources: Bella Hadid's Instagram announcement (May 2022), statements by the project's partner reBASE.