What happens when you fuse tech-enabled hoodies with one of the rarest CryptoPunks? For Colby Mugrabi, founder and CEO of the neo-couture brand mmERCH, it’s a next-level luxury streetwear drop destined to impress web3’s most enthusiastic collectors.

From September 25 to October 2, mmERCH is collaborating with Austrian crystal company Swarovski and digital artist Claire Silver on a collection of hoodies inspired by Punk #8348, the only CryptoPunk with seven traits. Daniel Maegaard, known by his alias “Seedphrase,” owns this iconic Punk. He’s an art collector and investor, who Mugrabi describes as a “dear friend” with a deep connection to luxury and physical art.

Since buying Punk #8348 in May 2020 for just under $18,000, Seedphrase has popularized the avatar’s image as part of his personal brand. He’s even been known to don a life-size mask of the Punk and DJ in character alongside Steve Aoki and Diplo.

“It just felt like a natural fit,” Mugrabi told OpenSea. "Seedphrase is not only an advisor and investor in mmERCH, but honestly one of the most respected figures in the space, both as a collector and a champion of digital art."

The partnership between mmERCH and Seedphrase began with an Autoglyph

The partnership between Seedphrase and mmERCH first sparked in March 2024. The company had just raised $6.4 million in investor funding and was gearing up for a highly visible launch of its genesis drop, Egg Collection. Seedphrase gave Mugrabi permission to print his Autoglyph, a work based on the on-chain generative art project by CryptoPunks creator LarvaLabs, at the launch party in April. Those early conversations opened the door for more collaboration, and before ever meeting in person they shared early prototypes of what became the Punk #8348 hoodies. 

Next, the pair met in person during NFT NYC. “We had a few meetings while he was in town, going over ideas and prototypes,” said Mugrabi. “Things just kind of blossomed from there.” As a fellow CryptoPunk owner herself (Mugrabi is the proud holder of Punk #954), she enthusiastically welcomed the challenge of designing a hoodie based on the ultra-rare seven-attribute Punk. 

"Seedphrase’s Punk is such a big part of his identity, both in the NFT space and as a DJ," she noted. "We wanted to abstract elements of his Punk and present them in a way that reflects his personality both digitally and in real life while keeping everything streamlined and rooted in quiet luxury."

The collection’s seven colors were inspired by Punk #8348’s palette

Mugrabi and mmERCH’s design team extracted the color palette from Seedphrase’s iconic Punk to design a look that passes the test of even the most tried and true web3 collectors. There’s a reason for everyone to feel good in these hoodies, which feature seven distinct hues assembled in colorways mirroring the Punk's design. In comparison to mmERCH’s first drop, which featured six hoodie traits (the hood, the body, the pocket, each arm, and the bands), Mugrabi and the team added one new element to this collection to reflect the rarity of the Punk's seven traits.

"We added a drawstring to the hood as the seventh trait," she explained. 

This second drop has also given mmERCH the chance to refine its curatorial process. Mugrabi noted that one of the key lessons from the first collection is that, unlike with PFP artwork, for which demand is most often correlated with rarity, fashion items are also valued based on their look and design. In the first drop, Mugrabi observed that collectors wanted to purchase the hoodie they could see themselves wearing, not necessarily which color was rarer. 

With this insight, the mmERCH team restructured the new drop to ensure that every output reflects what Mugrabi calls a “core style.” Each has varying degrees of rarity baked in, but every design is intentional and well-curated. In short, these styles are looks you’ll want to wear out and about. The drop features nine core styles: Monochrome, Hoodie, Righty, Bundled, Trilogy, Diptych, Lefty, Varsity, and Decentralized. Each of the seven colors appears once as a monochrome hoodie. 

In total, there are 322 outputs, corresponding to 322 hoodies available for purchase. Each is made with hand-dyed Italian neoprene produced in a mill neighboring Lake Como, then cut and assembled in mmERCH’s Los Angeles factory. 

Swarovski crystals add a touch of luxury to the hoodies

For 22 special, ultra-luxe designs, mmERCH added Swarovski crystals to the drawstring cord ends. This feature appears on just 7% of the entire collection. 

"Since the drawstring is the seventh trait, we wanted to highlight it," Mugrabi said. The color of each cord end is inspired by a specific trait of Seedphrase’s Punk. Seven cord ends are red and black, reflecting the Punk’s top hat, six are amber and tangerine  for the glasses, four are white and orange like the cigarette, three are yellow for the earring, and two are uncolored stones to match the buck teeth. While most cord ends are made of Swarovski crystals, the buck-teeth design is made with real diamonds handset in 14-carat white gold.

Here’s where the fun begins: To cater to collectors who don’t want to leave their purchase to chance, mmERCH partnered with Christie’s to auction off five of the ultra-luxe hoodies. "This is a great way to test which distribution method collectors prefer,” said Mugrabi. “We’ll find out whether collectors like the auction where they can choose their output, or if they still prefer the gamification and element of chance in a public mint."

The auction went live on September 25. Just one of the diamond hoodies will be sold through Christie's and the other will be included in the public mint. 

Claire Silver’s exclusive artwork makes the collection stand out

The inventive AI-assisted artist Claire Silver — who’s also in the Punk family as the owner of Punk #1629 — also plays a central role in this upcoming mmERCH drop. 

“When I think of the pink-haired punks, I definitely think of Claire,” said Mugrabi. “She is incredibly talented and has such a deep understanding of the space.” 

Each of the five hoodies auctioned at Christie’s will come with a 1-of-1 artwork by Silver. The works will be revealed during the claim window in which holders redeem their physical garments. 

Additionally, Silver created nine edition works that correspond with each hoodie style and will accompany the physical clothing items as minted NFTs. All of the artwork depicts figures wearing the new owners’ respective hoodie.

Mark your calendar: Key dates for the mint and public sale

The full mmERCH x Seedphrase collection is currently live and visible on the mmERCH website. From September 25 to October 2, Christie’s will auction off the five ultra-luxe hoodies, including one with the Swarovski-created diamond bucktooth cord ends. The allowlist mint for the remaining hoodies opens on October 1 at 10 a.m. ET and closes October 2, at 10 a.m. ET. Then, the public mint will open at 11 a.m. ET.

Shortly after the collection mints out, artwork will be revealed and the claim window for physical hoodies will open up until October 18 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Production of the claimed hoodies will begin on October 21, and shipping is estimated to start in early December.

Mugrabi emphasized that every part of the collection, down to the rarest pieces, is designed to resonate with the Punk and mmERCH communities, while redefining what sustainability in fashion could look like with the aid of technology. 

“Technology is at the core of everything mmERCH does,” said Mugrabi. “It touches everything.”

In fact, technology shines particularly bright with the hoodies’ unique NFC chip feature which converts the garments into wearable wallets with perks. For instance, genesis hoodie holders could scan their garment’s NFC chip to RSVP for the collection’s kickoff party in New York City on September 24. Attendees who wore their hoodies also received a commemorative experience token from the event.

With this tech-first, quiet-luxury mindset, Mugrabi is proving that when you combine a touch of Swarovski with a dash of CryptoPunk, it’s possible you’re not only making hoodies — but also history.