Yesterday on BOMB TALK, Bobby Hundreds spoke with three of the creators behind the NFT projects we’re collaborating with for Wen Collab, BRAiN VOMiT, and Deadfellaz. After collaborating with the two biggest players in the NFT space last year in CryptoPunks and the Bored Ape Yacht Club, we wanted to focus on the next generation with our latest collab in the Metaverse. All three of these projects are burning up the charts and headed for the brightest of futures, and every single one features art and a community that we’re obsessed with.

Yesterday, we told you the story of Steven Rea and BRAiN VOMiT, and today we’re highlighting Smilesss, the brainchild of digital artist Waheed Zai. The Smilesssvrs is essentially the hypebeast world but in the Metaverse, where everything you wear is a statement piece and you live and die by the fit.

Breaking the mold of shoulder-up PFP headshot projects, Smilesss features 8,888 full-body scenes, each depicting a unique character in their own element, with complete fits and accessories like hats, duffle bags, sunglasses, skateboards, and even workwear. Smilesss is all about the details, with absolutely stunning 3D renders bringing these incredible characters to life and ushering in a new era of the Metaverse.

Created by 3D artist Waheed Zai and his team of genius marketers and community builders, Smilesss has snowballed into one of the most in-demand projects in the NFT space. But this time last year, Smilesss wasn’t even a twinkle in Waheed’s eye yet, a testament to how quickly things truly move in the Web3 world.

Waheed only began describing himself as an “artist” just recently, telling Bobby on BOMB TALK that he was unsure about the title for a long time because he didn’t grow up making art and many in the “art” community look down on 3D renders as more collectibles than traditional art. But they’re wrong. What Waheed is making are masterpieces.

It all started during the pandemic when Waheed was stuck at home and finally had some time to actually learn the 3D software he had sitting in his computer collecting dust. He started taking classes at the prestigious (and affordable) Youtube University, where he began figuring out how to hone his rendering skills.

Waheed only moved to the States six years ago from Afghanistan, and for a long time, he had to admire streetwear and hype culture from afar, unable to access a lot of it monetarily or geographically. But it made him appreciate brands like Supreme and The Hundreds even more, and the characters in the scenes he was creating had no budget restrictions. So, even if Waheed couldn’t get his hands on all his favorite pieces IRL, his 3D alter egos always had the plug. He could create alternate universes where everyone could have everything and appear exactly as they dreamed. How did the characters feel about their insane wardrobes? All smiles.

Once Waheed figured out his artistic style using the free software Blender and the now-infamous Donut Tutorial on Youtube, he began doing commissions for people online, creating 3D characters for avatars and album covers. His highest-profile freelance gig at the time was the cover for Pooh Shiesty’s immensely popular mixtape, Shiesty Season, which got his newfound art career a closeup on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

Then, in March, after seeing a lot of artists he followed jumping into NFTs and selling their work for something called “ETH,” Waheed investigated further. He started making one-of-ones and posting them on Instagram and platforms like Foundation. He started seeing detractors online saying 3D renders were collectibles, not art, and he didn’t like the narrative. It fueled him to create more and sharpen his skills.

When coming up with the vast Smilesssvrs collection of 8,888 NFTs, Waheed and his partner Gio brainstormed countless different scenes, environments, poses, and characters. Waheed wanted to bring vibrant life to 3D art, which he told Bobby could sometimes be “soulless.”

He wanted to be able to bring souls into this cold, 3D world and warm up his characters. He succeeded. The combination of colors, references to beloved real-world products, and Waheed’s innate ability to capture real emotion on a toy-like character are staggering. You can look at a Smilesss NFT for 10 seconds and feel like you know that character. Bobby even said he looks at them and thinks he IS that character.

And a ton of other collectors feel the same way because the Smilesssvrs has been a smashing success, selling out on the original mint and amassing a lofty floor price for the entire collection on the secondary market. Now, a trailblazing collaboration with The Hundreds and next, a TV show produced with Time (remember magazines??) based on Waheed’s 3D characters, everything is looking up for Waheed and his amazing team of creators and thinkers.

While Waheed was appearing on BOMB TALK, he tweeted out a preview of The Hundreds X Smilesss and it was glorious. On Wednesday night at 9 PM PST, you will all have a chance to add pieces from the collab to your IRL collection, with holders of ABS or Smilesss NFTs getting access to exclusive colorways.