Karinna Nobbs
Co-founder of digital fashion marketplace The Dematerialised; educator
Karinna Nobbs is an educator, consultant and digital fashion advocate who co-founded The Dematerialised, a Web3 marketplace for authenticated digital fashion launched in December 2020. She teaches innovation and digitalisation at Porto Business School and has long worked on retail innovation in fashion.
| Role | Co-founder of The Dematerialised; educator |
|---|---|
| Co-founder | Marjorie Hernandez |
| Launched | 12 December 2020 |
| Teaching | Porto Business School |
| Known for | Digital fashion and Web3 |
Who is Karinna Nobbs?
Karinna Nobbs describes herself as an educator, "Nowist" and connector. She is a published author and global consultant whose work has focused on retail innovation and the digitalisation of the fashion sector. In fashion technology she is best known as the co-founder, with Marjorie Hernandez, of The Dematerialised, one of the first marketplaces dedicated to digital fashion items sold as non-fungible tokens.
Career
Nobbs built her career in education and consultancy around how fashion retail adapts to new technology. She teaches at Porto Business School on innovation, digitalisation and emerging technologies. In 2019 she launched HOT:SECOND, a circular economy concept store that exchanged physical goods for digital experiences.
She met Marjorie Hernandez at a fashion circularity conference in Paris in September 2019. The two incorporated The Dematerialised in London in March 2020 and launched it as an invite-only platform on 12 December 2020. At the time Nobbs was described as an Ibiza-based educator and evangelist for the digital fashion movement.
Influence on the fashion business
The Dematerialised was designed as a Web3 marketspace where consumers and creators could buy, sell and experience authenticated virtual goods released as NFTs on the LUKSO blockchain, with payment possible in both traditional currency and cryptocurrency. It offered four types of post-purchase experience:
- Wear: digital dressing for social media
- Port: using items on avatars in games
- Trade: a peer-to-peer marketplace
- Display: showcasing a collection of digital assets
At launch Nobbs said: "We believe that digital fashion offers a wealth of new creative and commercial opportunities which are as yet, untapped."
Karinna Nobbs and technology
Nobbs's work links blockchain, digital product ownership and circularity. HOT:SECOND explored replacing physical consumption with digital experiences, and The Dematerialised turned that idea into a marketplace built on verifiable digital ownership. Both projects reflect her interest in technology as a way to reduce the environmental footprint of fashion.
Why it matters
Nobbs was among the people who gave digital fashion an early commercial structure. Although the NFT market has cooled since its 2021 peak, the questions she raised about digital ownership, avatars and dematerialised consumption remain relevant as AI-generated and virtual products spread.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Karinna Nobbs?
Karinna Nobbs is an educator, consultant and digital fashion advocate who co-founded The Dematerialised, a Web3 marketplace for digital fashion launched in December 2020. She teaches innovation and digitalisation at Porto Business School.
What was The Dematerialised?
The Dematerialised was a digital fashion marketplace co-founded by Karinna Nobbs and Marjorie Hernandez, where authenticated virtual garments were sold as NFTs on the LUKSO blockchain. Buyers could wear items in social media images, use them on avatars, trade them or display them.