Bella Hadid is selling NFTs of a virtual version of herself

Supermodel Bella Hadid has joined the metaverse with an NFT [Non-Fungible Tokens] collection called CY-B3LLA – featuring artwork based on 3D scans of her body.

Bella, 25, told Reuters she was intrigued by shared virtual world environments and said that she wanted to make ‘cool versions’ of herself after becoming obsessed with video games during the COVID-19 lockdown.

An NFT is a unique computer file encrypted with an artist’s signature, which acts as a digital certificate of ownership and authenticity.

Unlike similar technologies such as bitcoin, each NFT is in some way unique and can only have one owner at a time. They can be used for more than just currency.

In colloquial use, a metaverse is a network of 3D virtual worlds focused on social connection.

Bella said on her Instagram account that she had created the NFTs to ‘encourage travel, community, growth, fantasy and human interactions’.

Bella said: ”It was super fun. They really have my exact facial expressions.”

Inspiration for the CY-B3LLA NFTs came from 10 different countries, with input from local artists.

She said: ‘To see what kind of version of me that their brain concocted was really interesting… There are so many different versions of me that you could make and not ones that I could ever dream up.’

In the past few years, NFTs have been adopted by people seeking to turn art, music, videos and games into digital assets – and have been hailed as the digital answer to collectibles.

Most NFTs use blockchain – the decentralised leger first used by bitcoin to track ownership of the cryptocurrency – to a record who owns them and allow them to be traded or modified.

Most NFTs are part of the Ethereum blockchain – Ethereum is a cryptocurrency and one coin is worth 1,285.04 GBP or 1,628.43 USD.

Bella’s NFT collection comprises 11,111 NFTs and they were made in collaboration with the NFT minting platform reBASE.

The locations and accompanying digital assets are set to be revealed between now and September, with the first batch featuring images of a robotic-style Hadid inspired by Japan.

Each NFT also works as a passport to a global community, unlocking rewards and enabling the holder access to real events attended by Bella.

The date when these NFTs can be snapped up is yet to be announced, but interested buyers can register online.

Bella said: ‘It’s really exciting to see that people actually, like, want to be involved.

‘Every time I put something out, it feels like a birthday party, like no one’s going to show up. And so it’s been really nice to see … people actually … kind of tuning in and understanding it.’