Gm, coolkidz.

The NFT space never fails to surprise us… this week, with yet another twist. Donald Trump, former President of the United States, has officially launched his own NFT collection, or digital trading cards. The 45K collection sold like hot cakes, with all of them snapped up within a day. Now that was something almost nobody saw coming!

Stepping away from the Trump NFTs, welcome back to What's Brand New.

For those who are new, we bring you the biggest NFT and web3 brand news every week, keeping you well-informed on what’s brand new in the space.

Here's our content in-brief:

- Aston Martin Joins The NFT Space: Aston Martin launches its first ever NFT collection, following its competitors footsteps

- Zales Limited Edition NFTs: A claimable digital token only for the Jewelry brand's customers

- OneOf's "Legends of Rock: Led Zeppelin" NFT collection on eBay: NFTs of iconic Rockstars with IRL benefits

- WMG (Warner Music Group) launches new startup DressX: A brand tailored to 3D clothing NFTs

- Apple Inc. Making Moves To Allow 3rd Party App Stores: An act that can boost NFTs

If you’d like to see more of NFT Paris’ content, be sure to check out our website and Twitter!

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Let's get straight into it.

Aston Martin Launching Its Debut NFT Collection In Collaboration With The Tiny Digital Factory

English luxury sports cars manufacturer Aston Martin has announced the launch of its first-ever NFT (non-fungible tokens) collection, in collaboration with The Tiny Digital Factory, a leading game-developing company specializing in motorsport and racing blockchain-based games.

The sale for Aston Martin's debut NFT collection, which contains 3000 unique NFTs, will go live on December 18 of this year for whitelist members and on December 19 for the general public. Aston Martin's move comes after other important car manufacturers entered the web3 and NFT space earlier this year, such as Porsche, Lamborghini, or Chevrolet.

The first 3000 NFTs that will be available in the collection are virtual representations of iconic Aston Martin car models, such as the Vantage V8, the 1980 Vantage V8 which was featured in a James Bond movie, or race cars like the Vantage GT3.

According to the company, each car perfectly matches its real-world version and NFT owners will be able to use the virtual cars in the Infinite Drive metaverse, a web3 racing platform developed by The Tiny Digital Factory.

Stephane Baudet, the founder and CEO of The Tiny Digital Factory, commented that they are thrilled that Aston Martin has resonated with their web3 vision, and although the journey is just beginning for its Infinite Drive platform, the company hopes it will become one of the best in the gaming digital collectibles sector.

Zales Released A Limited Edition NFT For Its "You Are My Diamond" Campaign In Partnership With Bitski And Pebble Ventures

American jewelry retail company Zales has recently released an NFT gift for its customers, called Zales Digital Diamond Heirloom NFT, in collaboration with the NFT platform Bitski and Pebble Ventures LLC, a metaverse consultancy agency for brands.

The limited-edition Zales Digital Diamond Heirloom NFT was available as a gift for anyone who purchased an item on Zales' website on December 13, 2022, the starting day for Zales' "You Are My Diamond" promotional campaign.

There was no minimum purchase mandatory for customers to be eligible for the Zales Diamond NFT, so anyone who ordered a product from Zales on December 13 was eligible.

Each customer has received instructions on how to mint the Zales NFT to their email address used during the checked-out process, with a 6 month period to claim the non-fungible token. Eligible customers can also forward the NFT claim email to a loved one or send it to their address as a gift after minting it.

Zales is a leading jewelry retailing brand owned and operated by Signet Jewelers Limited, the world's largest diamond retailer. According to Jamie Singleton, Signet's chief marketing officer and president, the release of the Digital Diamond Heirloom NFT is an exciting strategy based on innovation, that aims to engage customers and provide new value in the modern age by connecting their interests.

OneOf To Release "Legends of Rock: Led Zeppelin" NFT Collection In Partnership With eBay And Globe Entertainment

OneOf, a web3 marketplace company that connects non-crypto fans to brands and artists, announced it will release a non-fungible token (NFT) collection on eBay called Legends of Rock: Led Zeppelin.

The launch is in collaboration with eBay and Globe Entertainment and Media, the custodians of some of the most famous archives in the world, such as Frank Worth Archive, Globe Photo Agency, or Movie Star News.

The Led Zeppelin digital collectibles series contains three photos from a famous photo shoot taken in 1969, featuring Robert Plant, John Bonham, Jimmy Page, and John Paul at Chateau Marmont, Hollywood. The Legends of Rock NFT collection is pairing legendary physical memorabilia with a digital certificate of authenticity using the blockchain, in honor of Led Zeppelin, one of the most-loved rock bands of all time.

Collectors who purchase one of the NFTs will also receive a pair of vintage concert tickets for a 1980 Chicago Stadium concert that was canceled due to the death of John Bonham, Led Zeppelin's drummer.

Collectors can choose from one of the two tiers of the limited-edition collection, the Platinum tier which costs $199 and is available in 99 editions for the three photos, and the Diamond tier at $399 available for 5 collectors, which includes a framed and engraved Led Zeppelin photo. The digital certificates that prove the authenticity of the physical print memorabilia are minted on the Tezos blockchain.

WMG (Warner Music Group) Launching Metaverse 3D Wearables In Partnership With Digital Fashion Brand DressX

Warner Music Group continues its Web3 journey by teaming up with digital fashion startup DressX to launch 3D avatar wearables in the Metaverse, according to a WMG announcement made on Thursday.

The WMG and DressX partnership aims to allow artists from Warner Music to create and license virtual merchandise or "verch" for their fans in the form of AR (augmented reality) virtual clothing, which is compatible with Meta's Metaverse, as well as Snapchat and Instagram.

WMG works with a vast number of famous artists including Madonna, Cardi B, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, David Guetta, Dua Lipa, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Benson Boone, and others. It isn't yet clear the role NFTs and blockchain technology will have in this partnership according to the statement, but since Warner Music described it as a We3 partnership there might be unannounced features for the items that will be revealed later.

Earlier in July, DressX was the first digital-based brand featured in Meta’s Avatar Store, joining a select group of brands that sell virtual clothing in the Metaverse (Prada, Thom Browne, and Balenciaga).

Apple Forced To Allow Alternative App Stores And External Apps In Europe By Anti-Monopolistic Law That May Boost NFTs

American technology giant Apple Inc. is preparing to allow 3rd-party app stores and apps outside of its App Store on its devices.

Apple's decision comes to comply with the new anti-monopolistic rules imposed by the EU (European Union) through the Digital Markets Act, a law signed by the EU Parliament in September 2022, which aims to make the digital economy more contestable and fairer.

The company has a strict policy for NFT-related apps that forces users' payments to go through its in-app purchases subject to Apple's 30% commission, with no option for apps to support crypto payments. EU's new law will be applicable from May 2023, with businesses imposed to comply by 2024.

Apple opening its ecosystem to external apps is great news for app users and developers in the European Union who use its devices, especially for those interested in NFTs and cryptocurrency. Notably, a similar initiative called the Open App Markets Act was proposed in the United States Congress by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Marsha Blackburn.

And that's a wrap!

Thanks for staying till the end, and we hope you’re now better informed on NFT brand activity this week in the space.

Back to the Trump NFT collection, did you mint one for US$99? Regardless, it proves the NFT industry is still thriving although dormant, as if waiting for the next bull market to turn up. Who knows when that time will come!

Hope to see you IRL at NFT Paris, February 2023! Till next time, coolkidz.

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