SLEEK, the Berlin-based art and culture media platform, has entered a one-year partnership with the Foundation for the New Creative Economies (FNCE) to explore the future of digital culture through Universal Profiles on the LUKSO blockchain.
LUKSO provides the digital infrastructure that allows creators, brands, and communities to build blockchain-native identities, showcase their work, and create new forms of digital ownership. Its tools make cultural interactions online more expressive, secure, and personal.
Together, SLEEK and FNCE will explore how Universal Profiles can open new ways for people to participate in culture. By experimenting with blockchain technology, SLEEK is pioneering the future of media where identity, creativity, and community interact in new forms of cultural expression.
Reimagining Cultural Membership
SLEEK has always explored how culture evolves, from print magazines to digital storytelling and now into new online spaces. With LUKSO’s technology, the magazine is introducing a new kind of digital membership that blends creativity, access, and community.
At the center of this initiative are Universal Profiles, smart contract-based accounts built on LUKSO. They work like personalized digital passports that allow people to represent who they are across different platforms while keeping control over their data, creations, and collectibles.
By anchoring its program on Universal Profiles, SLEEK opens up new creative dimensions: members could gain access to exclusive events, participate in gallery tours, receive curated NFT drops from artists, or connect more directly with cultural figures. These are just some of the possibilities emerging from this initiative, an exploration into how cultural institutions can evolve through decentralized technologies.
Bridging Creativity and Technology
The partnership reflects a growing movement toward digital infrastructure that prioritizes ownership, identity, and creative expression. LUKSO’s vision centers on creative empowerment, giving cultural institutions and their audiences tools to build, share, and own meaningful digital experiences.
“Culture has always evolved with technology, from print to digital, and now to new forms of connection,” said Lucian Aguilar, CEO of FNCE. “With LUKSO, we’re building an ecosystem where culture is more interactive, participatory, and where creative value truly belongs to the people who shape it,” added Fabian Vogelsteller, Co-Founder of LUKSO.
The SLEEK x LUKSO partnership marks a step toward a more participatory cultural landscape. By combining SLEEK’s editorial leadership with FNCE’s innovation, both teams aim to prototype new ways for media and creative institutions to engage audiences in the digital space.
“Creativity thrives when people feel part of it,” said Christian Bracht, CEO and Publisher of SLEEK. “This partnership brings our readers closer, offering new ways to engage with what SLEEK creates, supports, and celebrates.”
About SLEEK
SLEEK is Germany’s leading independent media house located in Berlin, one of the world’s creative capitals. Its quarterly print publication and digital channels spotlight emerging voices in fashion, art, design, photography, and music. For nearly two decades, SLEEK has built deep relationships across the creative community, earning a reputation for blending bold storytelling with cultural insight.
About the Foundation for the New Creative Economies (FNCE)
The Foundation for the New Creative Economies (FNCΞ) is the independent Swiss foundation backing the LUKSO ecosystem. Its primary role is to enable, nurture and expand creative, cultural and identity-centric on-chain innovation built on LUKSO.
About LUKSO
LUKSO is a next-generation Layer 1 blockchain designed to power the future of digital identity, creativity, and culture. Founded by Fabian Vogelsteller, former Ethereum Lead dApp Developer and Author of ERC20, and Marjorie Hernandez, LUKSO introduces universal standards that redefine how we represent ourselves online, build communities, and create digital value. By merging technology and culture, LUKSO is building the foundation for more connected, expressive, and human digital worlds.
About Universal Profiles
Universal Profiles are smart contract-based accounts that redefine digital identity in Web3. Developed on the LUKSO blockchain, with built-in permissions, metadata, social features, and programmability, Universal Profiles act as public, verifiable accounts, enabling seamless interaction, collaboration, and ownership across the decentralized web.