World of Women (WoW) celebrates diversity and inclusivity with its NFT collections that feature images of unique women. The artist for the collection is Yam Karai. The first project for WoW was launched in July 2021, and it has been a pioneer in the NFT space ever since.
One of its main missions is to increase the number of female artists and builders in web3, and to build a powerful community that welcomes under-represented voices. They have attracted many celebrity holders and big partnerships, held several large events, and continue to give back through multiple funds and initiatives.
Learn more about World of Women in our guide below.
World of Women Collection
World of Women is a collection of 10,000 generative art pieces on Ethereum. It launched on July 27, 2021 and cost 0.07 ETH each (this was also the same day that Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis released their Stoner Cats collection). Owning a WoW NFT means you own the IP to it, similar to how Bored Ape Yacht Club gave commercial rights to their holders.
According to The New Yorker, the artist Yam Karkai sold her first NFT “Woman n°001” for 0.1 ETH (it later sold for 33 ETH). She then went on to create the WoW PFP collection. “The base woman had to be a person that could pass for almost any ethnicity,” Karkai said in the New Yorker article. “I needed a neutral kind of avatar.”
WoW No. 5672 sold for $755K at Christie’s.
There are 189 different attributes with 11 trait categories and 14 different skin tones. These reflect the diversity and uniqueness of women. One of the most notable things about the collection is that most women can find a WoW that appeals to them and their own personality. In a Crypto Times article, Karkai said she was inspired by the 60s and 70s art movements, bright pastel colors, strong women, and her middle-eastern heritage.
Along with these traits, there were three exclusive “clubs” within the collection: Curators, Royalties, and Investors clubs. Some NFTs with rare traits used to provide benefits like royalty percentages, art curation, and more, but these clubs all ended in January 2023.
During the height of the bull run, the original WoW collection floor ran all the way up to 9 ETH, but it’s currently at 0.75 ETH. In March 2022, WoW #5672 sold at a Christie’s auction for $755K. This was the second-highest sale for a WoW behind Woman No. 6025, which sold for $765K in January 2022 to The Sandbox Game.
World of Women Galaxy
After the success of WoW, a new collection was announced in December 2021. WoW Galaxy launched in March 2022 as a free mint to WoW holders, with the rest selling as a Dutch auction. Some were concerned about the high supply of 22,222 WoW Galaxy NFTs, but they sold out quickly as the auction reached 1 ETH. Ten percent of all primary sales from WoW Galaxy went to the WoW Foundation, which supports women in web3 and digital art.
WoW Galaxy was also imagined and drawn by an original WoW artist, Yam Karkai. The WoW women celebrate 8 new “worlds” as a part of the WoW ecosystem. All attributes were generated randomly, except for skin tone, which matched that of your WoW (if you claimed it). Holders of WoW Galaxy have the same IP rights to use their artwork as the original WoW collection.
Champions and Guardians are other 1/1 NFTs that are part of WoW Galaxy collection. These are hand-drawn and non-generated.
WoW Galaxy NFTs
Team & Notable Holders
The project launched with a founding team of only four (Yam Karkai, Raphael Malavieille, Toomaie, and BBA), but has expanded its team to around 20 people. A majority of the team are also women. BBA recently left the team, and the VP of Product took over their spot.
In early 2022, WoW hired Guy Oseary as its manager, who also works with other major players in web3. Some of Oseary’s partners include Bored Ape Yacht Club, Beeple and Pixel Vault.
It was big news in the NFT space when Reese Witherspoon purchased as WoW NFT in October 2021. Her production studio Hello Sunshine announced a partnership with WoW which is all about celebrating works made by women. These will include films, TV series and more.
Other notable celebrity holders (who may or may not still own them at this point) are:
- Eva Longoria
- Von Miller
- Snoop Dogg
- Steve Aoki
- Gary Vee
- Napheesa Collier
- Ros Gold-Onwude
- Shonda Rimes
Photo Credit: Boardroom
Initiatives and Causes
World of Women is one of the leading NFT projects in web3 that is pushing to be "more than a jpeg."
WoW Causes
WoW has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to worth causes like Too Young to Wed, She’s the First, Code to Inspire, Blankets of Hope. They also paid to offset its historical carbon footprint, when the Ethereum blockchain was much more resource-intensive. 15% of all primary sales were allocated to the WoW Fund, which invests and puts the spotlight on NFT artists.
Metaverse platform The Sandbox Game donated $25 million to WoW over the next 5 years. This created the World of Women Foundation. The four main pillars are:
- Uplifting the ecosystem by supporting artists and funding projects;
- Educating newcomers;
- Communicating to give more visibility to women-centric causes, while inspiring others;
- Giving back to charities.
DaWoW
The DaWoW is the decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) for the WoW community. It allows both WoW and WoW Galaxy token holders to make decisions that affect the collection. The latest proposals were about electing the WoW committee.
WoW Events
The biggest event of the year for WoW is their Gala, which awards innovative community members, artists, and connects holders together. 2022’s Gala was during Miami Art Basel. At NFT NYC 2022, Madonna played a show for holders.
NFT NYC 2022 WoW Event. Photo: Artnet News
Artfest
ArtDrops were monthly airdrops to WoW holders that would vary depending on the origin planet of your WoW. Artfest takes the same structure into account, but adds interaction and a community vibe, instead of a simple airdrop. The digital art in the Spring Collection (15 different artists) has been inspired by the unique origin stories that collectively create the WoW universe.
There are quests and leaderboard competitions for Artfest collectors. Check out all the details on the Artfest website.
Summary
World of Women is one of the most recognizable PFPs across all of NFT Twitter. It inspired many other female-centered PFP collections of 2021 including Boss Beauties, Long Necktie Ladies, and Crypto Chicks.
The WoW blog recently touched on some of the challenges in the current NFT market and how it has affected their roadmap. The team continues to hire and is building out a WoW Committee, focusing on IRL community events, and is also highlighting women web3 artists who are making a positive difference in the space.
WoW’s Key Pillars
For more information about World of Women, check out the links below.
