What Is World Of Women? Everything To Know About the NFT Project Championing Diversity in Web3
TL;DR World of Women (WoW) is a global community built around the original collection of 10,000 NFTs designed by artist Yam Karkai. The project has received support from prominent influencers including Gary Vaynerchuck, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Aoki. A second collection of 22,222 NFTs, known as WoW Galaxy, was released in March 2022.
Project name: World of Women (WoW)
Project type: PFP (profile picture)
Original mint date: July 27, 2021
Original mint price: .07 ETH (approximately $150 at the time)
Runs on: Ethereum
Highest sale to date: WoW #9248, sold for 260 ETH (the equivalent of about $624,000 USD) on January 24, 2022.
World of Women, often abbreviated as WoW, is a global community built around the original collection of 10,000 non-fungible tokens (NFT) designed by artist Yam Karkai.
Considered by many to be a blue-chip collection, WoW has received support from prominent NFT influencers including Gary Vaynerchuck, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Aoki. The collection’s artwork features empowering depictions of diverse female avatars with 189 possible rarity traits including skin tones, hairstyles and accessories such as sunglasses, earrings and charm necklaces. The colorful art design celebrates WoW’s mission of diversity and promotes equal opportunity in Web3.
“We’re a community and brand that celebrates art, representation and inclusivity for all,” said WoW community manager Kashvi Parekh. “I see WoW as a Web3 legacy brand.”
The fandom surrounding WoW continues to grow, so much so that the team dropped a second collection of 22,222 NFTs, known as WoW Galaxy, in March 2022. The second collection is accompanied by an engaging new storyline that describes a cryptic message sent to the WoW Assembly of Women. The women crack the code and discover a new planet known as Nova Gaïa.
“I've spoken to a lot of people in this space and they describe us as the female version of CryptoPunks,” said Parekh. “We were one of the first ones to break into the mainstream with a legit project and mission behind us.”
Parekh describes the WoW community as a collective of “benevolent people” united by a shared mission to make tech and Web3 a more inclusive space. “I am constantly in awe of how kind the people in our community are, as well as how talented they are,” she said.
Primary NFT sales took place on the World of Women website. Today, original WoW and WoW Galaxy NFTs can be purchased on secondary marketplaces, including OpenSea, LooksRare and Rarible.
The WoW team considers holders to be both contributors to and stakeholders of the project’s mission, according to the official WoW website. Owning a WoW NFT gives holders ownership of both the underlying artwork and intellectual property (IP) of their NFT, along with perks like monthly derivative art airdrops from NFT artists within the WoW community, raffles, discounts and invitations to exclusive events. For instance, WoW holders were surprised with tickets to a holders-only Madonna concert during NFT NYC 2022, and at Art Basel 2022 in Miami, holders donned formal wear for the first annual WoW Gala.
The WoW team is also known for surprising holders with clues linked to gamified experiences across social media and IRL locations. These clues act like Easter eggs that unlock additional utility and perks. In July, original WoW holders each received a mysterious airdrop of digital blue “capacitors,” or electrical devices that store energy. WoW Galaxy holders also received an airdrop of green capacitors. Recipients could then redeem these capacitors for a virtual home in the WoWverse metaverse world.
There’s been a lot of buzz about WoW’s high-profile partnerships, collaborations and special projects. Most recently, WoW partnered with crypto hardware wallet company Ledger on a collaborative device. WoW holders who successfully completed a gamified quest and claimed the proof of knowledge NFT had the chance to win a custom WoW or WoW Galaxy Ledger Nano X.
There have also been whispers of special licensing deals, though the WoW team has remained contractually tight-lipped: In February 2022, actress Reese Witherspoon’s production company Hello Sunshine announced it would build out the World of Women character universe and franchise into animated entertainment properties, including educational initiatives, films and TV series.
Shortly thereafter, in July, WoW announced a partnership with global toy brand Hasbro to release a limited-edition World of Women Monopoly board game. WoW’s co-founder and creative director, Karkai, will oversee the artwork for the Monopoly board. Both WoW and WoW Galaxy holders will have exclusive access to receive a physical board game.
World of Women was founded by artist and creative director Yam Karkai, her partner and WoW head of partnerships Raphaël Malavielle and their two pseudonymous friends, BBA and Toomaie. Prior to founding WoW, Karkai worked as a freelance digital artist while Malavielle, BBA and Toomaie all worked for tech startups. Conceptually and artistically, WoW is the brainchild of Karkai’s creative vision, while the company, brand and community have all thrived by the talents of Karkai, the project’s co-founders and its growing team of more than 20 employees and contributors.
Initially, holders only received commercial rights to their WoW, but the team has since updated their agreements to transfer all rights, including those to both the artwork and IP. WoW holders may use their NFT artwork in any way they want, including commercially, with some exceptions for hate speech and violence. (Note: Holders cannot use the project names “World of Women” or “WoW” for commercial reasons – only the artwork itself.) IP ownership is transferred when the NFT is sold or changed wallets, so holders with long-term business plans should protect their NFT by transferring it to cold storage where it is less susceptible to hacks.
WoW holders have been taking advantage of IP ownership in a variety of fun ways, including licensing it for products like tea, coffee, green juice, candles and more.
Check out these BizWoW projects — including WoW merch by actress Eva Longoria.
World of Women has put a special focus on philanthropy and giving back. The community has supported at least 18 charities and causes in its first year. Most notable, however, is WoW’s new official philanthropic arm, formed in partnership with metaverse platform The Sandbox. The WoW Foundation is slated to receive $25 million in funding over five years to support education and mentorship for women and Web3 newcomers from a variety of backgrounds.
‘We kicked it off by doing an in-person meetup in Miami,” said Parekh. On Nov. 30, 2021, just a day before the first WoW Gala at Art Basel Miami, the WoW team provided mentorship for students from the Miami-Dade County Public School District.
“We were teaching them about NFTs, Web3 and how to make wallets.” said Parekh. “We're really excited because this is just the beginning.”
This article was originally published on Jan 27, 2023 at 8:28 p.m. UTC