The Fox Hunt: Mason Fox (@maisonreidfox) and an indie designer's journey into virtual worlds.
We talk to Mason Fox on experimenting with web3 collectibles as an indie designer, the attention economy, and why in the future, everyone will want to be anonymous for 15 minutes.
In a landscape dominated by the experiments big players, indie fashion labels carving their niche into web3 is a story less told.
Mason Fox, the creative force behind 'House of Fox,' is one such pioneer. Mason’s venture into digital fashion offers a unique, on the ground perspective on what it feels like to dive into web3 as a fledgling brand.
February 2023 saw the debut of House of Fox’s first digital collection, ‘The Fox Hunt’. In ‘The Fox Hunt’, every piece came with a digital twin, and access to a ‘House of Fox’ metaverse unveiling further inspiration behind the collection.
We sat down with Mason to talk the story behind his brand, how he found the use of web3 collectibles, and his thoughts on digital identity and the rebirth of anonymity.
Tell us about House of Fox. I get a very streetwear mixed with old world energy from it. Are we catching the right vibe?
You hit it right on the head.
The name 'House of Fox' was inspired by the death of my father as an homage to him. Initially it was an art project I used as an outlet for my grief, but as more and more friends grew interest in owning the pieces, I started selling the things I made.
I view the brand as having a streetwear mixed with a country club aesthetic. Authenticity was the most important thing to me when I started building House of Fox. I was a competitive golfer growing up, through college, all the way until I moved to New York. At the same time, I really clicked with skateboard culture and Nike SBs, when I was a kid. I was lucky enough to live in a town in Florida which had the only sneaker store in the entire state which sold SBs.
These were two sides to my life: the sneakerhead skateboarder kid one one hand and then on the other, I was the guy that tucked in my shirt to head to the golf course. As I grew up, my interest in SBs faded, but I developed a craving to mix the two aesthetics that were part of me. I wanted to feel youthful but also maintain the prestige of a collared shirt. House of Fox is what the blend of the two looks like.
What was the digital experience for the Fox Hunt?
In The Fox Hunt, each piece from the collection is presented as a 3D model revolving against a forest backdrop. In the forest, the customer would also be able to see glimmers of a passageway to a door leading to a different dimension. By purchasing the product and claiming the digital collectible that came with it, the customer could then go through that door.
The door would lead you to the other side of the forest into a dream-like world, as if you're in a reimagined great painting of an Austrian forest.
For me, it was a great opportunity to use web3 to tell the story more of what The Fox Hunt was, and what it meant to be on the other side of the forest. It wasn't the most complex thing. It was only up for about a week, but it was really cool.
I’m curious - what was the response like from customers?
The people who were web3 native - they got it with no questions. They loved it. They love having a collectible and the loyalty benefits that come with it. With others, there was a leaning curve. I had to explain how to create a web3 wallet and how everything worked - it was a process of education.
What are your hopes for the future with incorporating this tech?
Building together has been a mantra of web3 which I love. It’s one of the reasons why I’ve enjoyed being in the space and want to stay in it.
I like the idea of long-term value. If I do my job correctly as the founder of my brand and we do grow to an ALD or Rowing Blazers level, I'm sure that the demand for NFTs from the brand would increase with the growth of the company. Imagine Nike Jordans - if NFTs existed back then - imagine how valuable the NFT of the first Jordan would be worth today.
In terms of creation - it’s a really cool angle for me to create clothes that have been designed by the entire community.
House of Fox has always been my personal point of view because the story of it is so close to me but I would love to create another brand in the future which is decentralised. I think it would be cool if early adopters get a stake in the brand and as sales grow, those early adopters could sell that stake or reinvest it.
How do you think about personal identity when it comes to fashion?
Fashion is how I express personal identity and it’s how I identify with unique groups. I’ve always been into pretty niche things so wearing a shirt that can identify me as part of a group is what it’s all about.
I think this translates over to web3 and your digital characteristics in a very similar way. Through digital signifiers, we can connect to people in meaningful ways and it can often mean much more to connect to others without using words.
I’ve always found it more interesting to use clothing as an identifier of what I find cool rather than using for example, high fashion house patterns to identify yourself as status or part of the ‘cool crowd’.
There’s an interesting tension on the web where you can either be extremely public or completely anonymous. Which side of the spectrum do you fall on? What are your thoughts on online anonymity today?
I’ve noticed a rise of anonymity among brands - Hidden.NY is an example. There’s also a fashion brand called Satoshi Nakamoto (as in the Bitcoin founder). Nobody knows who he is and it caught fire, same with Hidden.NY. There’s something about anonymity which grabs attention.
I think in a world where we have a growing lack of privacy, people are seizing the opportunity to take back their privacy. Today everyone will be famous for 15 minutes as Andy Warhol once said but in the future, everyone will want to be anonymous for 15 minutes.
It does often feel like (right now) everything is public. Everybody’s putting out a press release on the latest thing and I personally think it’s a relief not to have to express yourself without having the social repercussions.
Lightning Round!
Your house is on fire and you can only keep three things from your closet. What are they?
I have a old pair of Nike SBs. They’re the rarest ones I have. They’re really cool and they mean a lot to me. I bought them with my own money when I was like little kid.
I think I'd have to grab one of my House of Fox T-Shirts which were one of ones. They're like a friends and family piece as a nostalgic.
I also have a really beautiful pair of leather boots that are my dad's so they’re coming with me!
What’s your latest obsession?
Jujitsu. When I lost my dad, I needed something that would keep me grounded. And for a very long time that was just the gym - lifting weights, but when you're doing Jujitsu, your mind can't be anywhere else.
You have to be in that moment or you're gonna get swept or submitted, and you don't want that to happen. So I really love how Jujitsu has been able to keep me in the moment and keep me grounded in my life.
What’s something overrated or underrated for you?
I think you'll be much more effective in helping the world if you help yourself first. I think self-care is underrated. People are forgetting to ask themselves how they feel. Recently I've put a lot of my time and energy into getting in touch with myself, especially as a creator. Like, how would you ever be able to express yourself if you're not in tune with yourself? It affects so many different avenues in - life, relationships, friendships. The more you're in touch with yourself, the more you’ll be able to be in touch with other people and other elements of life