“Edgy” and “elegant” are rarely found together in a sentence. In a determined hunt for digital accessories, I came across Alexa Kusulas’ Cryptopurse project and instantly put those two rare terms together to describe the collection: edgy and elegant. 

“I’m deeply in love with the ones with spikes; they are my favourites by far,” Alexa says of her Cryptopurses.

Inspired by the idea of an everyday city bag accessory, Alexa produced a selection of wearable digital purses ranging from bright pink to shiny silver and crimson red hues. 

Alexa’s talent reflects not only in her technique but further shines through in her concept creation. Her Metallic Wings and Unidentified Specimen designs have an otherworldliness about them that leans more towards Sirius' heavenly light than to Charon’s dark abyss.

And yet again, those two words burn through: edginess and elegance.

Defining moments

Alexa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Design and Fashion Business and, after graduating, hoped to make a name for herself within the traditional fashion industry. 

“I always aspired to be a physical designer and didn't see any other options that I could go for,” Alexa says. “Throughout my professional career, I have participated in events such as New York Fashion Week, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Mexico and other international competitions. I have been mentioned in articles in magazines such as Vogue Mx, Fashion United, Vogue China, Elle Italia and Washington Square News.” 

It wasn’t long before Alexa fell down the web3 rabbit hole, immersing herself in the community and transferring her fashion skillset to the third dimension.

“This way of creating fashion meant I could combine several of my interests,” she explains. “I began to delve deeper into 3D and its potential. I then decided to enter web3, published my first NFTs, started participating in the metaverse and introduced myself to the community of 3D designers.”

Limitless (better than the series)

Alexa’s rebellious style (as she puts it) has a unique sophistication to it. It is a trait that is clearly visible across all of her digital designs.

“I really like creating digital clothing that is very difficult or almost impossible to do physically because I think that is the great advantage of being a digital fashion designer,” Alexa says. “There are no limits.”

The web3 rabbit hole falls many stories however, and has many times left newcomers feeling like the free falling will never cease, given the constant tug-of-war between too much and too little information available.  

“I made mistakes and I got stressed but I kept learning and I continue to do it daily,” Alexa explains. “The truth is that, in the end, it was an incredible process. The fashion community in web3 are incredible; they are always giving tips and helping others. Despite this great challenge, I feel happy and grateful to be virtually surrounded by such talented people who inspire and challenge me to improve every day.”

Not only is Alexa inspired by others within the web3 community, she too hopes to be a source of inspiration for others to take the leap and jump right in. She makes a powerful point: that our individual success is mainly our own responsibility.

“I believe that being able to get to where you want in life depends only on you and I know that sometimes it is difficult for emerging designers to stay in this new industry because many things stop us, especially believing that our work isn’t good enough. I would like to show everyone that believing in oneself accomplishes wonders,” Alexa explains. 

Creating awareness about the limitless potential within digital fashion is also one of Alexa’s core aims. Digital fashion is beyond mere art but is often backed by utility and further represents a great technological and cultural shift. 

It’s time to join the movement; let’s fall together.

Connect with Alexa Kusulas on Twitter here and Instagram here.