Boson Protocol, the decentralized commerce protocol that enables products, services and experiences to be sold as NFTs in the metaverse, has launched Boson Portal, a unique brand experience located in Decentraland – a blockchain-powered metaverse.

This pioneering virtual lifestyle, commerce and cultural playground enables brands, artists, and creators to buy and sell physical goods as NFTs in the metaverse. In a world first, customers will be able to choose to receive their items at home or collect them in-store, eliminating the barriers between digital and physical.

Boson Portal is launching with the protocol’s first-ever conference: Boson Forum, an immersive 3D event taking place across both Boson Portal in Decentraland and Crowdcast simultaneously. The conference will see a selection of metaverse leaders, founders, and experts, participate in live panels to discuss the dawn of metaverse commerce. Featured speakers include Joe Pace, Head of Business Development at ASICS; Sheila Warren, Member of the Executive Committee of the World Economic Forum; Sandra Ro, CEO of the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC), Sébastien Borget, COO & Co-Founder of Sandbox; Natalia Modenova, Co-Founder of DRESSX; Paula Sello, Creative Director at AUROBOROS, authors Sangeet Paul Choudary and Lisa Gansky, among other industry luminaries.

Speaking at the launch, Justin Banon, Co-Founder of Boson Protocol, said: “With the launch of Boson Portal, we are showcasing to the world that a better, more equitable, immersive, and enjoyable alternative to commerce exists. Our vision is to provide the decentralized network upon which future commerce will run. And it starts with metaverse commerce.

“The dawn of metaverse commerce is finally at hand and we are immensely proud to showcase the future of brand experience and retail in this unique way, hand in hand with the incredible array of partners with whom we are building this future.”

Agustin Ferreira, Foundation Leader at the Decentraland Foundation, said: “The launch of Boson Portal is a major development, not just for Decentraland users but for the metaverse as a whole. The market has opened up for brands and the creative community, heralding a new era for global commerce.”

Fashion industry and metaverse commerce

To mark the launch of Portal, Boson Protocol has also announced strategic partnerships with a number of creative houses who bridge the worlds of fashion and technology. Digital fashion company MetaFactory, and Auroboros, the science and tech fashion house creating physical couture and digital ready-to-wear, are each launching their own areas within Portal, within which customers can buy digital items as NFTs redeemable for unique physical goods.

Drew Harding, Co-founder of MetaFactory, said; “’MetaFactory is excited about the future of decentralized commerce. We believe that Boson Protocol’s solution will unlock new market opportunities and move the industry towards a truly decentralized, peer-to-peer transactional offering. We hope that our collaboration demonstrates the potential and inspires others to explore.”

Paula Sello and Alissa Aulbekova, Co-Founders and Creative Directors of AUROBOROS, said; “As the first luxury fashion house native to the metaverse, extending our reach to Decentraland was essential. With Boson Portal we are able to exist in a new realm and reach out to a wider range of clients as well as expand our range of vision when it comes to
our brand. We have worked closely with the Boson Protocol team to design several engaging activations that will provide our loyal community of collectors with the opportunity to be among the first to purchase pieces from an exclusive digital drop as well as rare physical fine-jewellery pieces. Fans of our brand will also have the chance to win pieces from within the collection and we will be sharing more details very soon. The
metaverse represents the next great leap for technology, culture and fashion, and we are proud to be shaping this future alongside Boson Protocol.”

Boson Protocol will welcome more partners to launch their collections on Boson Portal in Q1 2022, such as Trinidad and Tobago-based WYLD FLWR, a fashion brand that promotes Caribbean culture and women empowerment led by fashion designer Anya Ayoung-Chee, as well as DRESSX, a digital fashion house creating their first-ever physical collection.

Anya Ayoung-Chee, Co-Founder of WYLD FLWR, said: “We at WYLD FLWR are thrilled to be working with Boson Protocol to bring our festival wear brand to the metaverse, while also bridging the gap between our digital and physical offerings. The WYLD FLWR brand epitomizes freedom and empowerment for the women who wear the clothes, and for those who produce the clothes in the Caribbean. We see Boson Portal as an incredible opportunity to introduce a truly liberating experience for our audience, and a uniquely engaging way to connect our mission with our growing community.”

DRESSX co-founders Daria Shapovalova and Natalia Modenova, said: “DRESSX is proud to be co-creating a revolutionary digital experience with Boson Protocol, maximizing the opportunities of 3D fashion in the metaverse. A first for DRESSX, we are bringing a physical layer to the partnership, designing a very special garment in the DRESSX way and using Boson Protocol’s technology to deliver a physical representation to its owners. Always putting sustainability first, we will offset the carbon emissions of the drop to stay carbon neutral and create the blueprint for the sustainable future of the fashion industry.”

Boson Forum will also host an NFT art auction curated by VerticalCrypto Art, featuring work by Miss Al Simpson, Jon Burgerman, Gary Cartlidge, Luxpris, Linda Dounia, Jesse Draxler, and Marjan Moghaddam. To sign up or to visit the event in Decentraland, follow this link here.

Boson recently announced the release of the first version of its decentralized commerce protocol on Ethereum Mainnet. The company also recently made NFT history by acquiring ‘The Glass Suit’, a digi-physical item designed by Dolce and Gabbana, for $1 million.