Interview with Founder Costantino Roselli of NTZNS

In this series, we interview the founders and CEOs behind Metaverse companies. The metaverse is fully in development, and many different technologies are involved in this process. These inspiring people are at the frontier of developing a future where the online and physical worlds merge.

In this article, we’ll be interviewing Costantino Roselli. He’s the CEO and founder of NTZNS and has cultivated a community of over 3,500 influencers and designers. Roselli is working with NTZNS (neTiZeNS) to redefine digital fashion and disrupt the current fashion business model.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m Costantino Roselli, the founder and CEO of NTZNS (neTiZeNS). I’m also a member of the advisory board for the Metaverse Fashion Council, a bestselling author, and a futurist. My background is in both Computer Science and Marketing.

In the past 10 years, I co-founded a digital branding company dedicated to fashion and the Business of Fashion Academy. My ultimate purpose in doing so was to introduce people to the business of digital fashion.

At the end of the day, despite my titles and degrees, I like to consider myself a storyteller. I enjoy creating and telling beautiful stories. Stories that can make people consider taking positive actions in their lives.

What is the metaverse, according to you?

The Metaverse is about human culture, and it sets the foundation for human evolution. It’s a way to express ourselves. Where instead of just sharing information about ourselves we can show who we really are without the limitations of our physical forms. Such as showing our multilayered personalities by using more than one avatar. These methods allow for a greater degree of expression and help cultivate empathy. The metaverse is a virtual universe with no gravity, no borders, and a non-binary mentality. One with unlimited potential for creativity and business opportunities. It’s a place where technology meets art, and together they can build a lifetime of experiences for people.

When and how did you realize the metaverse was going to be real?

The Matrix movie was the first point of reference which planted the seed in my mind. I never think of the metaverse as a marketing platform. I consider it to be another reality or an opportunity to simulate our future societies. The metaverse is as real as any book or movie that narrates a good story. But people can actually participate in the plot and live those amazing experiences within the metaverse.

According to you, what does it take for the metaverse to become mainstream?

The platforms that claim the title of the metaverse today have nothing to do with the metaverse to come. We have to build it before we start thinking of how to make it mainstream. For the record, I believe that we are moving into a new cultural era that will leave the industrial one behind. Mainstream isn’t something we’ll care about in the new era. We’ll build things for communities rather than the masses.

What triggered you to start your metaverse company?

Two things. The first is that I always saw the limitations of our world. The traditional stereotypical beliefs cause suffering while also ensuring that humanity’s kept in a circular repetition. One that eliminates any opportunity we have for growth. We’ll never evolve to achieve and build a future based on sustainability, inclusivity, and diversity if we keep living that way.

The second thing is that as a storyteller, lover of technology, and a futurist the metaverse is my canvas to build worlds. To create worlds where people do things differently and can evolve toward beautiful shared experiences.

What’s the story behind your company?

NTZNS is the abbreviation of the word NeTiZeNS, which means the citizens of the internet. I believe that the internet was the 8th miracle of the world. It’s a foundation to move humanity to the next level. I came up with the idea that the citizens of the future should build on this Netizens culture instead of the industrial. We started our project in 2019 and have since shaped it into where we are today. A virtual community of 3000+ designers, influencers, and creators who want to shape the world of the future – the metaverse.

What does your company solve?

We are focused on using digital fashion to disrupt the current fashion world’s business model. We’re building a D2C virtual world where designers will have the opportunity to meet their audience and co-create. This will ultimately eliminate all of the intermediaries and complex activities (trade fairs, showrooms, fashion shows, media) between the designer and their audience.

A fashion brand can achieve 97% sustainability, zero overproduction, and almost eliminate supply chain costs by using our model. At the same time, this process both eases the creation of fashion items and sells more of them. It’s like the prior disruption of the music business model by iTunes and Spotify. By freeing musicians from the tyranny of record labels, we have more music and more musicians.

John Radoff describes the value chain of the metaverse with 7 layers. In which layer(s) does your company operate? Can you give an example?

We operate in multiple layers. Human Interface as we provide wearables. Decentralization as we’re using tokens in our projects under the assumption that the metaverse and the new culture should be built on this methodology. And we’re in the Experience layer creating stories to motivate people.

People ultimately need to see the value behind it all. On one hand, we have the sustainability and freedom found as power passes from institutions to people. And on the other, there are the experiences people take from it all. At the end of the day life is about fun and beauty.

Who were the people who have been the most helpful in getting you to where you are today? How did they impact your life and your success?

Definitely, my family as they support what I did and do. You need a lot of psychological support as a founder who’s trying to bring an idea to life that looks alien to everyone. You’re mostly fighting your own demons alone. So you need to surround yourself with people who give you constructive criticism or you should have no one. My mentor, Maryam, believed in me from the beginning. And she’s on our advisory board to provide us with her experience in both business and startups.

What do you hope the metaverse will look like in 10 years?

I believe that in 10 years the metaverse will be a place where we’ve transferred all our work and can live through amazing experiences. I also hope that this reality plants a seed in our minds. One that grows into a realization that humans can evolve into something more than they are now.

I hope that people will stop thinking of the metaverse, AI, AR\VR, DAO, blockchain, and all of the upcoming technologies as just another opportunity to make money and continue old-fashioned business practices. People should see the metaverse as an opportunity to evolve and build a sustainable (environmental, social, and financial) future that allows us to live without barriers and restrictions.

How do you envision your company’s role within the metaverse in 10 years?

I want NTZNS to be one of the top 5 companies shaping the world of the metaverse. With the biggest creators’ community and collaborations with the biggest entertainment brands. A company building virtual stories that make people live once-in-life experiences. I love seeing NTZNS as part of the bigger picture. As being among those who play a small part in our evolution.