Background
It all started with a lucid dream Kase Fenley had when he was 22 years old that changed everything. He had been trekking his way up to the peak of a mountain when, just as he reached the summit, a bolt of purple lightning struck the clouds above. He was vividly aware that something was off. Suddenly, there was a loud blast, and the entire scene turned completely white. The next thing he knew, he was listening to music that seemed so familiar that it was as if it had always been playing in the background of his life this entire time. As it continued to increase, a montage of memories that he had entirely forgotten harmonized with the sound, creating a profound intimate symphony and he said to himself, "it felt like I was graduating life." He came to the conclusion that he must be passing on and all of a sudden awakened filled with love. "I rolled out of bed sobbing. It felt like I had reestablished the connection with my soul. A renewed will to live. From that moment on I was completely transformed left with the question: How do I create an experience like this for others? How do I restore meaning to people's lives by reconnecting them within?"
Problem
The fashion industry is completely antiquated from the way it designs, sells, and manufacturers. In general, it hasn't evolved in over 220 years since the opening of the first fashion boutique in St. James Mall, London.
But our solution extends beyond apparel.
The magnitude of the problem we are tackling is evident because it can be understood between all of us, everyone can feel it today or relate to it at some point in their life: loss of self.
But just how far has our generation been knocked out of homeostatic balance?
- 8/10 people who visit a medical facility do so because of their mind
- Suicide is the second leading cause of death among 18-34 year olds
- 1 and 3 say their mental health is worse than this time last year
Prosperous societies are facing a significant cognitive decline across the board mainly for 3 reasons: our interpersonal networks are deteriorating, our connection to spirituality / religion is in a state of decline, and our connection to nature is being replaced by digital environments. It was Carl Yung, renowned psychologist who pioneered much of modern psychology who said "The greatest threat to civilization lies not with the forces of nature, nor with any physical disease, but with our own inability to deal with the forces of our own psyche." Youthful generations are particularly vulnerable. Many are existentially frustrated, devoid of meaning, which prosperous societies suffer the most from this problem. We don't have an effective tool that is curbing this problem because there's not a single app, feature, or product that will successfully do it. A problem of this magnitude calls for a unique type of solution. A fundamentally human driven one.
Solution
If we want to transform society from the bottom up, how do we get there?
Phase 1 - Use Phenotype's Positioning to excite a larger movement that extends beyond apparel
The need for a compelling movement for younger generations that isn't centered around self indulgence, is drastic. Fashion is a cultural medium where movements start. Think of Knight's and Tribes, fashion is anthropologically tied to unify us and the timing is perfect. The importance of unity in the face of adversity right now is felt amongst many with growing concerns of a prosperous future and division is prevalent. The genuine desire to be a part of something meaningful might just be the single most demanded thing amongst 18-34 years olds.
Phenotype will leverage its existing celebrity network, platform influence, and viral marketing campaigns to usher in a larger movement that extends beyond apparel. A deeply primal, spiritual movement to foster life by reconnecting people to nature, eachother, and within. See previous viral campaigns Phenotype has executed: here, here, and here generating over 1 million impressions.
Phase 2 - Launch Phenotyping to risk mitigate Phenotype Workshops
The founder (Kase Fenley) has chosen to combine his knowledge of neuroscience and fashion into a single solution that not only ties individuals to the design process, they become the pinnacle of it. He has worked with neuroscientists and engineers around the world to develop and design this breakthrough new technology, we call it Phenotyping. Phenotyping is a 30-minute immersive retail experience in which the client is guided through a series of neuroscientific processes to reflect on what they love in life. From that, our proprietary software creates a design, a momento in real time, using their emotional brain activity. This 9s video accumulated 13m views showing an early version of the Phenotyping experience and just how magnetic it is. It's the closest thing we have as a society to a representation of your spirit. An in depth explanation of the four phases of the Phenotyping experience can be viewed: here
The platform that we've developed isn't only revolutionary and the first of its kind. It's an entirely new market opportunity that we fully intend to monopolize altogether. Phenotype will be the first commercial entity to commercially integrate with the brain and create services for it. Our personalized model of design directly challenges the standardized and uniform nature of mass manufacturing, where products are often produced in large quantities with limited variation and uniqueness. The reason why Phenotyping will be so successful and has received so much interaction thus far is because it is extremely novel, exciting, and hands on. Most adjacent positioned companies cannot hold a candle to this new design method because they are too encumbered by the antiquated ways of mass manufacturing. The next 220 years will not follow the same path that previous companies did. Now is the time to adapt for the next 220 years, the next phase of human expression. Where we reinject meaning back into the objects we surround ourselves with. Now is the time to craft around you; to create timeless, meaningful, representation of self. The new frontier is a system that completely transforms how a brand designs, sells, and engages with their customers and Phenotyping achieves just that.
Phase 3 -Phenotypes can be applied to anything, the render above shows different Phenotypes applied to our Xen Bag
Retail stores haven't changed since the 1920s. If you take a picture of the first retail store in the mall of St James and a picture of one today they are virtually the same. Luxury fashion has failed to adapt an innovative environment to compete with online giants because it's wildly divorced from the nuts and bolts of innovation. Today, there is a huge opportunity for prospective investors to transform the retail industry as it once had on that street in St. James Mall that will be felt for centuries. How so?
By focusing on experience, but not only that, Phenotype's answer is to radically change inner cities and the wellbeing of the people within them by reconnecting them to life.
Phenotype Workshops are an immersive retail entertainment experience where we connect to nature, each other, and within. The inspiration for our Workshop's comes from the experience one would have at an ayurvedic spa in the mountains or a meditative retreat in the maldives. The problems with these experiences is that they are typically inaccessible in cities. We're building a global retail chain of workshops to foster life in every city. You can think of a Phenotype Workshop as a watering hole in the desert. People will leave here with a renewed excitement for life. Our first concept is currently being designed by leading architects who worked for Kanye. If Build A Bear Workshop is a hybrid between a toy store and Disneyland for kids. Phenotype Workshops are a hybrid between a neuroscience laboratory and a fashion house for adults. They're more akin to a sanctuary than a commercial retail experience. Where you walk out from the experience, full of life, instead of just a shopping bag. The demand for an experience like this in a city where people can retreat is off the charts.
What makes the experience so memorable and exhilarating is the phenotyping process and the technology we've developed where you can see your brain create and effect things in real time. The emotional connection-building process at Phenotype's Workshop is a key aspect of what will make it so sought after. The act of creating something with your mind becomes a memorable event completely contrasting the stagnant, predictable, experience that we expect from all fashion retailers today! When you visit a Phenotype Workshop your experience follows four phases and can read up more on it: here
Prospective location that Phenotype plans to utilize to develop its first workshop can be seen: here. We plan to break ground late 2024 early 2025. More details about project Borealis: here. The next major group of cities: LA, MIAMI, CHI, DALLAS, 2026 and then we will be expanding into Asia and Europe 2027.
- Kase Fenley
