Episode 2:
CloneXTokyo & The RTFKT Geisai Event, ft Maril, Denjin, and Dremilly
31 May 2023
Introduction
Martin: I'm impressed by what happened in the Japan scene. Let's introduce ourselves first.
Maril: I'm half Japanese and half Hong Kong Chinese. I've moved around a lot and worked in London in design engineering and material engineering. When Covid hit, I had to go back to London, but eventually made it to Japan.
Denjin: I'm from Los Angeles and have worked in the gaming and startup industry, including Sony and Square Enix. Recently, I worked on the mobile app game Marvel Strike Force. I was drawn to RTFKT because of my production background. I moved to Japan in 2019 and have been doing freelance and art creation work.
On The Creator Economy
Martin: Both of you come from engineering and design backgrounds. What are your thoughts on the creator economy? How do you see this revolution and your role as creators?
Denjin: I'm enticed by the ideology, especially as a creator and artist with RTFKT. I'm involved in RTFKT and other communities, collaborating with other artists in Japan. Instead of constantly scrolling and being on Twitter, I focus on creating things. The creator economy is still in its early stages and very exciting, but it hasn't fully developed into a proper economy yet. People are making some money here and there, and I've dropped a few things with RTFKT, but it's not enough to make a living. I'm curious to see how it will evolve.
Martin: In the AI art community, we face a similar scenario. There are many projects where you can contribute without the traditional process of submitting your CV. You can simply join and contribute.
Maril: I agree with both of you. Things now have provenance. Beeple may not have made money with his "Everydays," but because of his audience, he was able to monetize it and create something valuable. Coming from a background in 3D design and manufacturing, I've noticed that the industry hasn't fully capitalized on the 3D marketplace. The people making money are the companies, not the designers or animators. So creators have more empowerment now, but we're still unsure of how it will play out. However, the connections you make in this space are amazing.
The RTFKT Community Event
Martin: What was your experience with Geisai? And knowing the event is coming to your city, how do you plan?
Maril: We had to pull the original plan two weeks before the event and make adjustments. Most of the stuff presented were from the first event, with some additions like new kicks. We organized the venue and aimed to keep it simple. The goal was to bring everyone together, showcasing artwork and hardware to the visitors. It was a global gathering of creatives.
Denjin: Julien and Dabasa brought a lot of items, including a scarf from Korea. It was a community-driven event where everyone shared their work. I contributed more digital content, such as videos from the previous event. Maril's apartment feels like an extension of the event.
Martin: What creation are you most excited about at the moment?
Denjin: I'm particularly interested in what Taiwan did with the mechanical box. It's see-through, a futuristic box where you can see the contents. I haven't seen anything like it before. There were also hologram 3D displays in Tokyo, but the screens that Dabasa brought in were super cool. Additionally, their community game was running, which was exciting.
Beetle: Can you tell us more about the community dinner?
Maril: The community meet-up served as a pre-game event for the main event. It was an opportunity for people to come together, meet, chat, and showcase the work of creators. We had a cake to celebrate Cleg and Zaptio's birthdays, and there was way too much cake. We wished them a happy birthday.
Denjin: The community dinner was a chance to meet the international community. It's great for Japan to have an event where everyone can come together. And yes, there was definitely an abundance of cake. People usually have smaller portions here, but we had to force ourselves to finish it.
Beetle: The community is what powers the event. Just like the NYC events in 2022 where we had soccer, rock climbing, and jamming sessions, these fringe events allow us to connect over shared interests beyond just being Clones. What about the main event? How did Dre become the host of the event? How did it all come together?
The RTFKT Geisai Event
Dre: It started with Snap and me going out to dinner. During the conversation, Snap mentioned he was going to Tokyo, and that's when he proposed the idea of me coming along too, and we would do a video with one-of-one hosting similar to Complex. So the idea for the video started small, and we discussed it with Cas.
Cas took it and ran with it. He said, "Yo, we can do this and that. Interviews and all." This was just a week and a half before the event. Cas brought in Maril, OG, Denjin, and the Japan crew, and it evolved into what it is now.
Beetle: How about Maril and Denjin? What were you guys involved in?
Denjin : I didn't know about it until a week before. I had gone to Geisai last year and did a photo blog kind of thing. When I found out through the online call, I realized it was turning into a pretty big production. Coming from a producer background and being able to speak Japanese, I was able to contribute.
So I spent the entire event day shadowing Cas and relaying all the information back to Snap without overcrowding the radio. I would communicate with Cas, telling him where to get good shots and all. We started setting everything up at 7 in the morning, dealing with wireless equipment, batteries, and trying to get everything set up while Geisai was also setting up. It involved a lot of on-the-fly decisions. So, there were about 10 of us working together to set it all up.
Maril: I was at the front, checking in with people and offering help if anyone needed it. There were two sides to the event, and I was assisting people, including picking up VIPs. It turned into a behind-the-scenes role, taking shots and helping people get to the VIP line for minting. Eventually, the mint machine had a long queue.
Beetle: There were many components to the event. Which part did you enjoy the most?
Maril: Definitely the kicks. The second favorite was Animus.
Denjin: I also enjoyed the kicks the most.
Dre: I'll be honest, the mint machine was crazy. The quirkiness of it reminded me of some Willy Wonka candy creation that was about to spit out something. It was an amazing experience overall, especially with the music and lights.
Denjin: There was a lot more detail on the guy who minted the pill in the last Space. It was a really crazy moment. Everybody was there, and we were about to wrap up on the live stream when we all saw it happen.
Beetle: How long did the event last? When did you guys pack up for the after-party?
Maril: The lights went on, the music stopped, and that's when the event was over. Everyone went home to reset a bit, and it was already around 4 or 5 PM.
The After-Party
Beetle: What was the after-party like? Was there food? Can you tell us what happened?
Maril: When I arrived, it was busy. Everyone was seated. There was a square area in the middle of the building, like a bar-restaurant setup with tables all around. You had to squeeze past and navigate through people.
Denjin: We went ham on the food. I was snacking on edamame and veggies from one side of the menu. But when I saw the steak and cheesy pizza come out, we all went hard, especially with the wagyu. The venue was nice, and RTFKT had decked it out.
It was an indoor setting, but it had a Yokocho vibe, like an alley with stalls offering all kinds of food. It was kind of small, especially for those coming from elsewhere who were not used to this kind of setup.
Dre: Yeah, it was really packed and a different type of environment that I'm not used to, and neither would anyone from overseas be. It was incredibly crowded, with no space to do anything besides sitting down and eating. The energy was really high, and everyone seemed very happy, probably from the post-event energy.
People were leaning against the rails at the top, looking down at Takashi Murakami dancing while we were eating. The downstairs area was exclusive to VIPs for the party. Many people came through, like Verbal from Ambush and friends and family.
Maril: Yea, the crowd was very influential. There was a sole distributor for Murakami based in LA, and the RTFKT team was there too. There were many well-connected people, as well as those from the community events who also attended since the passes were transferable.
NFT Culture In Japan
Beetle: Could you tell us about the NFT culture in Japan and the intersection with street culture?
Maril: The NFT culture in Japan is super vibrant and filled with optimism. It doesn't have the same image as NFTs overseas; here, it's more about the art. There are events happening every week, like NFT Art Tokyo next week and a blockchain event in Kyoto the following week. There's a wide range of events to participate in.
Dre: I'm truly amazed by the community when it comes to the Web3 sector in Japan. It's a completely different experience compared to LA. People here are excited about the technology element and the art aspect of NFTs.
Denjin: Since the first NFT Art Tokyo last year, there have been a ton of events. It can be challenging to keep up because there are so many to attend. The NFT culture in Japan is definitely exciting and palpable, with a lot of in-person activities. NFTs aren't scorned upon like they might be in other places.
Maril: Japan is a prime location for NFT culture. Collecting is huge here, and the second-hand market is quite significant. Tokyo serves as a hub within reach of various Asian countries, so people are always traveling here. Tokyo's centralization leads to plenty of events being held here.
Rounding Up
Beetle: What are you looking forward to the most from RTFKT?
Denjin: I'm looking forward to the creators and seeing what they come up with. It's about getting more people interested in RTFKT.
Maril: Personally, I've been enjoying the story aspect. I'm excited to see what we have by the end of the year. However, I'm still waiting for my SZN 1.
Dre: For me, it's the shoes and the CIRL. Even more than AF1, I'm drawn to the technology and how it ties back to the story, lore, questing, and the MNLTH vibes. Growing up as a gamer, having that experience in real life is something I'm really looking forward to. Whatever quests they put together with the move-to-earn concept is gonna be amazing.
Beetle: Thank you all for sharing your insights about Japan, the event, and RTFKT. And if anyone missed out on the event, they can reach out to Maril to check out his place.