The fashion event, famous for its velvet ropes and celebrity-only runway shows, isn't known as an accessible platform for up-and-coming brands to spread their eccentric messaging. NeuThrone, seeking to tap into the paranoia around AI mass surveillance, deepfakes, identity theft, and artistic integrity, needed a way to tell its story but had limited options.  

So when a series of videos about influencers being abducted by NYFW security guards for wearing AI sunglasses began sweeping across conspiracy TikTok accounts, it was clear something strange was happening.

“We knew NYFW wasn’t going to just hand us the keys. The parties are all VIP only, and the big runway shows don’t even publicize their locations anymore.  We knew we had a steep hill to climb,” said Co-Founder and CEO Tim Shea. “So we figured, let’s just flip the script and riff on this idea of not being allowed in.  Let’s make it look like NYFW is part of the Deep State, Big Tech, AI Surveillance complex, where they’re trying to keep all the young cool kids out of their parties.”

“There’s a real anxiety about AI among up-and-coming creatives,” adds Co-Founder and CCO Eze Blaine.  “The entire new guard of artists, musicians, models, and actors are worried about AI stealing their work without consent or compensation.  And since tech companies and governments aren’t going to intervene anytime soon, we’re giving creatives the tools to opt out and say, ‘No, we don’t consent to this.’  Our work, our voices, our faces are for human eyes only”.

“For Human Eyes Only” has become the rallying cry for NeuThrone, which also shot an edgy commercial at NYFW about a group of artists lamenting the kidnapping of their hero and a new AI technology that helps them fight back.

“We co-created this entire brand universe with the help of AI,” says Blaine.  “Everything from the brand, the design of the sunglasses, and the script for the commercial.  It helped us develop the character of Ellora, who’s been abducted by AI agents who have created endless copies of her identity.  And then we made it literal.  We hired real-life actors to make it look like influencers were being arrested on the red carpet by Deep State agents for wearing our sunglasses.  It created a real sense of paranoia like there’s a conspiracy unfolding at fashion week.”

The TikTok community was quick to pick up the story, spreading wild theories about government collusion, Deep State SUVs, and living in a “New World Order.”  It spread the idea that AI was further encroaching on people’s personal privacy and that technology existed to help people back.

Exploiting AI for Their Own Advantage

NeuThrone leverages cutting-edge AI tools to give the brand an edge. They use everything from ChatGPT to MidJourney to Dream Machine to create the brand, as well as more esoteric AI experiments based on LowKey, Fawkes, and Nightshade that cripple AI systems and cause them to glitch out when capturing human faces.  This enabled NeuThrone to embed a “deepfake camouflage” into their VISIONARIES sunglasses, an invisible watermark that protects its wearer from AI.

“We were deep in the rabbit hole reading AI whitepapers and tinkering with weird AI tools, trying to figure out what’s coming next,” says Shea.  “Then we had this epiphany like this can’t be another SaaS company or a nerdy gadget like Google Glass that you’d launch at CES or Dreamforce.  What if we created something that we’d want to be part of, in the vein of an Off-White or a Yves Saint Laurent, but built for the post-AI world?  Let’s just throw out all the old playbooks.”

Tim Shea and Eze Blaine, the co-founders of NeuThrone, have a long history of collaboration, starting 15 years ago at TBWA\Chiat\Day. Their combined experience, working with brands like Apple, Nike, NBA, Facebook, and Salesforce, has allowed them to completely rethink brand-building by fusing AI and creativity.

NeuThrone’s Next Steps

While NeuThrone New York Fashion Week activation highlighted how creatives of the so-called ‘’new guard” can navigate a post-AI world dominated by surveillance technologies, the group is being intentionally cryptic about their next few moves.  They’ve developed a unique brand universe designed to lure consumers into a labyrinth of head-scratching clues and mysterious rabbit holes.

The group has hinted at upcoming collaborations with rappers, documentary filmmakers, and conspiracy sleuths in what promises to be a series of groundbreaking products from the brand.  A date has yet to be set for the Dutch-style auction of the limited edition VISIONARIES.  Interested consumers are encouraged to register on the NeuThrone website.

About NeuThrone

NeuThrone is an AI-accelerated luxury streetwear brand made to resonate with a new generation of consumers who seek to thrive in the post-AI world. The brand's inaugural product, VISIONARIES sunglasses, embodies this mission by offering both luxury and privacy protection in a high-end streetwear package.

For more information, please visit https://neuthrone.com/ or contact tim@neuthrone.com.