CONSORTIUM
Leadership
Luminaries
CONSORTIUM
Leadership
Luminaries
content creation and decision-making processes involve both humans and machines.
content creation and decision-making processes involve both humans and machines.
Andrea
Abrams
Founder and Chief Metaverse Officer
NEW YORK, USA
Andrea Abrams is a retail industry veteran and global executive, with a broad background in cross-border expansion strategies and partnerships, as well as technologies for physical and digital retail expansion. She is a retail technology and blockchain investor, participating in pre-seed rounds of notable startups for physical and digital commerce.
Andrea is Chief of Strategy at Faith Tribe DAO. Faith Tribe is a collaborative fashion platform and ecosystem devoted to open-sourcing fashion talent and unlocking new opportunities for creators, artists and fashion businesses everywhere, with a dual-chain token ($FTRB) launched on the Ethereum (ERC20) and Polygon blockchains.
Andrea is also the co-founder of Interconnected LLC, a business accelerator platform connecting best-in-class businesses with talent and opportunities. She is a board advisor to blockchain platform Lukso, and a Strategic Advisor to blockchain investment fund Scytale Ventures, among others.
After a long international career in the retail and fashion industries, mostly on the physical side as an executive of a multi-national REIT, working on the launch of new retail concepts and advising international retail companies on their global expansion strategies, including partner sourcing, franchising and real estate, and working with prominent retail owners in the Americas, UK and Europe on merchandising strategies and clicks-to-bricks implementations, Andrea started to search for technologies that would solve many of the problematic issues faced by retailers, designers and product makers, such as inefficient inventory management, lack of uniform POS standards and limited tools for sustainable production and distribution.
Becoming involved with the blockchain community and discovering solutions that this new technology could offer, felt to Andrea as transformational as the advent of Web 1 and Web 2 in the mid 1990s and the early 2000s. Much like the internet ushered in the eCommerce era, Web 3 and the Metaverse are bringing us the dawn of the iCommerce era, a new immersive way of consuming products and experiences. The ability to create digital lives for real-life products is opening the door to a truly “phygital” existence. However, achieving broad industry adoption of new technologies requires a deep understanding of, among other things, that industry’s demand generators. Recognizing that the solutions must solve problems without negatively impacting the value built over years of careful implementation of the existing enterprise, Andrea set out to create an incubator for strategic incorporation of new Web 3 technologies and activities necessary to bridge the virtual and physical worlds, and to create a connection that results in a balanced and seamless code of communication and community engagement. As with all nascent technologies, early misinformation and competition for dominance can create diversions and roadblocks. By bringing together a consortium of luminaries from the physical and digital worlds, Andrea seeks to create a balanced conversation at the intersection of our physical and digital identities, giving birth to Phygicode.
With a background in engineering and architecture, Andrea spent a large part of her career in executive positions in development, acquisitions, global merchandising and investment, extending retail methodologies to new frontiers with transactions in Turkey, Brazil and Central America, and taking over development responsibilities for a $5 billion mixed-use property portfolio where the proper balance of retail, lifestyle, hospitality, civic space and programmed activities enhanced the overall physical experience. This synergy of shared values between asset classes remains a key component of brand development today. NFTs and the communities built around them are broadening the programmatic adjacencies and expanding the partnership opportunities to the Metaverse. Virtual Worlds are enhancing the interactive narrative, and DAOs promise to decentralize and democratize these collaborations, creating a future with fewer barriers and increased collective value. Andrea believes that The Future is Phygital.
When not in a virtual world, Andrea is currently based in New York. Being an Argentinian-born American and having lived and worked in multiple countries in Latin America and Europe, Andrea is fluent in English, Spanish and Italian. She is involved with multiple philanthropic organizations and is an avid opera fan. She has been a member of ICSC, BCSC and ULI.
Rubin
Singer
Creative Director and Design Mentor
NEW YORK, USA
American fashion designer Rubin Singer was born into a family of couturiers, and exposed from a young age to refined techniques. Rubin’s family heritage in fashion shaped who he is today. His grandfather was one of the most celebrated designers in the Soviet Union, dressing Russian royalty, Soviet political figures and the social elite. His father, Alik, created costumes for the Bolshoi Ballet and Stanislavski Theater, before moving to Paris where he established an Atelier.
Rubin mastered his craft in the care of his father, followed by studies at Central Saint Martins in London. He then worked in New York as an associate designer for Oscar de la Renta, before being scouted by Bill Blass to be head designer for Blass’s three licensees. Rubin went on to become head designer at the Kai Milla company, started by and named after Stevie Wonder’s wife, where he helped launch the brand. He followed by creating his first collection under his own name, which debuted during New York Fashion Week in 2007. He has since created 71 collections. Rubin says that “his business is not making clothes, it is curating how someone is to look and live in the world”.
Rubin has become a favorite couturier to top names in entertainment and the social elite, dressing artists such as Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Adriana Grande, Shakira, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Cardi B, Glenn Close and Zendaya, to name a few. He is often tasked to combine fashion with technical and physical performance at the highest level, such as the costume for Beyonce’s Super Bowl half-time show or dressing the leading names in the opera circuit, from Anna Netrebko to Sondra Radvanovsky. Rubin’s creations have been center stage at some of the most iconic moments of the opera world. Rubin’s craftsmanship has extended beyond his extraordinary runway artistry to a successful career in RTW, special collections for QVC and product partnerships with world-renowned brands such as Lufthansa and Hyundai.
Rubin’s diverse work has showcased the strength of extraordinary tailoring, matched with theatrical storytelling. With the expansion of Web 3 technology and the start of the iCommerce era, creativity and storytelling are taking new, unprecedented forms. Not only is the technology enabling new forms of collaboration, but it is also expanding the creative narrative to virtual worlds. After years of friendship, Rubin reached out to Andrea to tell her about his upcoming outerwear collection, a manifestation of his tailoring techniques in a true social armor for our changing society. In talking about the inspiration for the collection and describing what these armors would look like in another reality, in Rubin’s creative outer worldly universe that inspires the pieces that later materialize for the physical world, Andrea realized that these garments had a dual existence, one that most people would never experience. As with every Rubin Singer collection, the story and life of each piece is rich and worthy of its own virtual world, and something that could now be weaved in the creative process though the magic of smart contracts – the potential for designers to create digital certificates that would not only record the story behind a creation but also track its life and provide immutable proof of its authenticity. Hearing that Andrea was embarking on the creation of an incubator that would be equal parts education and implementation of new products and experiences that showcase the power of Web 3 technology, Rubin couldn’t wait to be part of it.
With a similar multicultural upbringing and a shared passion for art and music, as well as a shared commitment to detail and methodical approach to process, Andrea and Rubin realized that they could help change the narrative about digital and physical design, and foster a new collaborative approach in the era of the Metaverse – a phygital approach to creation, production and consumption. Rubin joined Phygicode as Creative Director and Design Mentor. Rubin is a Vienna-born, Paris-raised, New York-based American and speaks English, Russian, French and Spanish fluently.
Wahid Chammas
DAOs for Fashion, Global Retail Tech Infrastructure
LONDON, UK
Wahid is Chairman of Faith Tribe, a multi-platform solution built with the latest blockchain, Web3 and NFT technologies as the first fully decentralized and community-owned ecosystem for the collaborative creation of fashion items. Wahid joins Phygicode to lend his expertise in DAOs for Fashion & Global Retail Tech Infrastructure.
Wahid is also the Founder & CIO of TyreGate Capital Holdings, LTD, and a longtime investor in fashion through VC firm The Luxury Fund, of which he is a shareholder and Managing Partner. Both portfolios consist of significant fashion and fashion-tech investments.
Wahid was previously a Managing Director & Portfolio Manager at Janus Capital Group and a VP & Equity Securities Analyst at Goldman Sachs.
Anya
Ayoung-Chee
Purpose-driven Metaverse
MARAVAL, TRINIDAD & TOBAGO
Anya Ayoung-Chee is a fashion designer and social entrepreneur. She is the founder of WYLDFLWR, a festival wear brand and mission-driven technology community, which is pioneering the NFT and digital fashion space for Caribbean creatives. Anya joins Phygicode to lend her expertise in Purpose-driven Metaverse.
After competing in the 2008 Miss Universe pageant for her native Trinidad and Tobago, during which she had the opportunity to design portions of her wardrobe, she became an inspiration to young fashion designers by winning season 9 of the popular US television series, Project Runway. Following that, she launched her eponymous womenswear line. In recent years, Anya has become a leader of social activism in the Caribbean and is a co-founder and Director of The Together WI Foundation.
Carol Hilsum
Global Digital Commerce and Innovation
LONDON, UK
Carol is the Senior Director of Product Innovation at Farfetch, where she creates new products and experiences focused on future-gazing use cases. She is an experienced product commerce and CRM executive. Carol joins Phygicode to lend her expertise in Global Digital Commerce & Innovation.
Prior to Farfetch, Carol spent many years in the fashion industry in senior roles, building products and running growth strategies for companies like Net-a-Porter and Topshop. She is an advisor to early-stage venture capital firm Lyra Ventures and to virtual goods marketplace The Dematerialised. She is an Investment Forum Member at DeFINE Network EU and a Mentor at Outlier Ventures’ Base Camp accelerator program.
Rigo Lora
Fashion & Entertainment Partnerships
MIAMI, USA
Rigo is a global fashion executive, co-founder of fashion and lifestyle incubator Interconnected LLC, and a sought-after advisor to prominent fashion and lifestyle brands, having previously spent a decade at fashion brand Dsquared2, where he launched their US business (taking it to a wholesale operation of over 50 prestigious points of sale). While expanding Dsquared2’s operations, he established the brand’s cultural influence via coveted strategic partnerships. Rigo joins Phygicode to lend his expertise in the area of Fashion & Entertainment Partnerships.
Rigo is also known in fashion and hospitality circles for his extensive network and curation of top events and activations, including charitable organizations such as the CFDA Love Ball and Vienna’s Life Ball.
Teddy Pahagbia
AR/VR/XR & Metaverse Infrastructure
PARIS, FRANCE
Teddy is the founder of BLVCK PiXEL, a digital innovation consultancy focused on emerging technologies such as AR, VR, XR, blockchain, AI and advanced data management systems for the creation of customized digital strategy and experiential solutions, working within a variety of industries such as retail, fashion, luxury, hospitality, entertainment, education, real estate and non-profit organizations. Teddy joins Phygicode to lend his expertise in the areas of AR/VR/XR & Metaverse Infrastructure.
Teddy, aka “Mr. Metaverse”, was named one of the Top 30 most influential people in the Metaverse by Redwrite. He is the founder of SPKTQLR, the brand. He is the founder and co-host of “The Metaverse Show”.
Roman Ryabokon
Virtual Goods Design
PAPHOS, CYPRUS
Roman is the co-founder of Virtual Rags, a digital fashion studio focused on 3D, AR, VR and digital design technologies for the fashion and retail industries. Roman joins Phygicode to lend his expertise in Virtual Goods Design.
Roman specializes in digital textiles, motion design and avatar creation. He has worked with brands such as Telfar, GOAT, Vogue Italia, Coperni, MCQ, Axel Arigato, Rebecca Minkoff, among others.
From digital patterns to the creation of full collections, Roman and the Virtual Rags team work to create entire 3D narratives of digital-only product as well as digital twins of physical collections.
Jenny Han
한지혜
Asia Brand Partnerships
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
Jenny is a US and S.Korea retail expert, retail market analyst and GTM strategist for shopping center merchandising. Having spent over a decade in Seoul in various senior positions at Lotte Asset Development Co. Ltd., Jenny is a renowned market entry strategist in South East Asia, with extensive experience in South Korea, Indonesia and India. She is also a sought-after brand advisor to Korean fashion brands. Jenny joins Phygicode to lend her expertise in Asia Brand Partnerships.
Prior to her time in Seoul, Jenny spent a large part of her career in New York with US Department Store Macy’s Inc., focusing on promotional retail events, national marketing initiatives and in-store customer activations. Jenny is also a certified Platform Strategist versed on platform development for market disruption.
Julien Paredes
Virtual World Partnerships
MARSEILLES, FRANCE
Julien is the Metaverse Partnerships Manager at Boson Protocol, working with brands to explore the sale of physical products as NFTs in Metaverse activities. He is a strategic advisor to startups in the fields of blockchain, DeFi, NFTs and gaming, including Play-to-Earn. Julien joins Phygicode to lend his expertise in Virtual World Partnerships.
Prior to Boson Protocol, Julien co-founded PULS Impact, a non-profit organization using gaming (with notable partners including RIOT Games) for NGO fundraising.
In addition to his work in technology, Julien spent over a decade working for NGOs, also acting as a citizen lobbyist at the EU Parliament and the French Assembly.
Carol Murphy
NFT Art with Purpose
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
Carol Murphy is the co-founder of Web3Sisters and a former ad agency executive at DDB, Saatchi & Saatchi and Ogilvy. Throughout her advertising career, Carol has focused on understanding human behavior and the effect of art and visual communication in various aspects of society. Combining her knowledge of visual arts and her passion for Web3 technology, Carol co-founded Web3Sisters to connect artists with opportunities, and to promote emerging artists via training and financial sponsorships. Carol joins Phygicode to lend her expertise in NFT Art with Purpose.
Carol is also a partner in Surfergirl Inc., a NY-based, women-owned marketing agency and art gallery committed to making art more accessible and supporting the careers of female artists. Earlier in her career, Carol worked on brand strategies and ad campaigns for clients, such as P&G, VW, Clorox and Chandon.
Meryem Birsöz
Brand Partnerships
LOS ANGELES, USA
Meryem is the founder of MOSHIQA, a luxury pet lifestyle brand and membership community, and a favorite of A-list celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, John Legend and Paris Hilton.
Meryem combined her experience in international fashion manufacturing and marketing with her passion for animals to create a global brand that celebrates pet lovers and their pets. She has mastered the art of community building around shared values, having partnered with global brands such as Four Seasons Hotels, Warner Brothers, Christian Cowan, Belmond Hotel Splendido, among others. Meryem joins Phygicode to lend her Brand Partnership skills to the Metaverse.
Prior to founding MOSHIQA, Meryem worked for notable retail brands on an international operational scope.
Cass Spencer
Visual Communications and Branding
BROOKLYN, USA
Cass is a creative leader with extensive experience in digital, video, experiential and print design across numerous platforms, including brand, social content, events and product, receiving award-winning recognition from London to New York. He is the founder and creative director of creative agency Foreign Studio. Cass joins Phygicode to lend his expertise in Visual Communication & Branding.
Prior to focusing on Foreign Studio, Cass spent almost two decades with prominent media companies, including 6 years as Creative Director at Fairchild Media (FMG), working across all FMG’s brands: WWD, Footwear News and Beauty Inc. His prior lead roles in art and creative direction include top publishing companies such as Conde Nast, Hearst, Time Inc., and Rodale, inspiring multi-disciplinary teams across design, photo, fashion, digital and video.
Leila Hurstel
NFTs for Membership Organizations
LONDON, UK
Leila is the co-founder of blockchain FinTech platform OnAndCo, COO of Metaverse real state agency Verse Estate Metaverse, and co-founder of The Women Club, a think tank bringing together highly skilled female founders from around the globe through an NFT Club. Leila joins Phygicode to lend her expertise in the area of NFTs for Membership Organizations.
Leila’s accomplishments are heightened by the fact that she has launched these initiatives while studying Economics and Business at University College in London and joining the Algorithmic Trader Program at Alphachain Capital. She is also a volunteer for the WomenTech Network, a community that promotes gender diversity in technology.