Only 16% of NFT art can be linked to female artists and only 5% of NFT sales are by female artists, according to research published by ArtTactic. When this startling report came out in November 2021, it brought the lack of female representation into discussion and sparked initiatives for women from all different backgrounds to enter the $40 billion+ male-dominated industry. From artists, to founders, to NFT models, below are 13 of the top women in the NFT space. Introducing the Top 13 Women in NFTs:

1. Yam Karkai

Co-Founder and Artist of World of Women

 

Created by Yam Karkai, World of Women (WoW)’s mission is to create an NFT space that celebrates and encourages diversity among a male-dominated industry. WoW is inspired by Yam’s multicultural background, her life experiences, and her community. In February 2022, Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine announced a partnership with WoW. Hello Sunshine plans to turn the WoW NFTs into a character universe with feature films, TV shows, and other entertainment properties. WoW has become a leader in representing women in the NFT space.

2. Maliha Abidi

Founder and Artist of Women Rise

A Pakistani-American, Maliha Abidi is an accomplished author and visual artist focused on fighting for social justice initiatives impacting women and marginalized communities. Her NFT work, Women Rise, is a collection of 10,000 randomly generated NFTs that represent women from around the world and with different professions. Women Rise advocates and brings awareness to women’s rights and girls’ education.

3. Nicole Yap

Founder of 8sian

Nicole grew up ignoring her own Malaysian identity and never had an interest in learning Chinese. She idealized Western living and had forgotten her own heritage. However, after becoming a mom, Nicole realized the importance of preserving cultural roots for future generations. After diving into the male-dominated NFT space and noticing a lack of female representation, she launched 8sian as a way to empower Asian females and preserve the cultural roots of the collective Asian identity. 8sian’s collection of 8,888 Asian women NFTs celebrate and showcase Asian culture through intricate and elegant traditional details with historical significance. The 8sian brand is very successful, with three other collections and a partnership with Malaysian luxury streetwear, STONED AND CO.

4. Lisa Mayer

Co-Founder of Boss Beauties and CEO of My Social Canvas

Lisa Mayer is the CEO of My Social Canvas and Co-Founder of Boss Beauties. For 10+ years, My Social Canvas has been mentoring the next generation of women with inspiring women from various backgrounds such as Olympians, CEOs, to computer scientists. Boss Beauties is an NFT collection of 10,000 strong and independent women with the mission of reminding women that “a Woman can be Everything she wants.” Boss Beauties became the first NFT to be displayed at the New York Stock Exchange and is in collaboration with Marvel to remind women that they are superheroes. Most recently, it was announced that Boss Beauties will become the first NFTs to ever be on display at the United Nations in an effort to highlight real Boss Beauties of history.

5. Glam Beckett

Artist of Sad Girls Bar

Glam Beckett is an artist based in Bursa, Türkiye. She started drawing sad girls as a way of escaping a lonely feeling she had, according to an interview by Dirt. Her style consists of line art and minimal color (usually just black and white), with the overall vibe being dark and melancholy. Sad Girls Bar consists of 10,000 melancholy women in black-and-white, accessorized with edgy jewelry, food and drink. Launched on August 23, 2021, the total tradeable volume on OpenSea has reached 2.2K ETH, or roughly $6.07 million as of February 19, 2022. In addition, the floor price has increased to 0.2 ETH, which is impressive considering the early mint price was only 0.07 ETH. 

6. Sara Baumann

Founder and Artist of Women and Weapons

An Iranian based in Dallas, Texas, Sara Baumann used art as a side hustle while she worked full time as an Occupational Therapist. Through her talent in digital art and NFTs, she has been able to pursue art full time and even used her NFT collection, Women and Weapons, to pay off her master’s degree. Women and Weapons is an NFT collection of 10,000 diverse and strong women with accessorized weapons. There are over 200+ attributes that were hand drawn by Baumann in a “mid-century style full of nostalgia.” The weapons symbolize internal strengths women possess and utilize such as “empathy, intelligence, kindness, and education,” according to the Women and Weapons’s website.

7. Amy Matsushima

Founder and Creative Director of Women of Crypto

 

Serial entrepreneur Amy Matsushima is highly invested in the car and boating rental business as well as investing, trading, and NFTs. She noticed her gender has always surprised men in every industry she has pursued, reminding her daily of the gender gap. These disparities have inspired her to actively pursue initiatives towards educating and empowering underrepresented individuals. The goal of Women of Crypto is to promote women in the NFT space, with “50% of the royalties going directly to partnered charities, Women Who Code and Crypto Chicks,” according to an interview with NFT Calendar. Women of Crypto is a collection of 8,888 high quality, 3D rendered female avatars for the Metaverse.

8. Kami was Here

Visual artist

Kami Was Here is a visual artist exploring the vast medium of AI and technology enabled art. “Kami” are the living natural spiritual essences that reside in things, such as the mountain god, forest spirit, or river mote. Inspired by the natural world, the artist’s work has been shared through NFTs and visual art.

9. Rachel Winter

Artist and Illustrator of Remarkable Women

A Canadian illustrator, Rachel Winter’s artistic style consists of mixing bright colors with bold patterns. She uses art to promote beauty, joy, and tell stories. Her extensive creative career has taken across the world. From studying fashion and being a pattern designer in the U.S. and Canada, to working as an illustrator in various cities across Europe. Her work is inspired by feminism, cultures, and street fashion, according to NFT Culture. The Remarkable Women NFT collection is an ode to women from the perspectives of “fashion, feminism, and cultural diversity,” according to House of First. Celebrating women across the world, many of the NFTs have messages of positive affirmation in 10 languages across the women’s chest

10. Ashley Smith (aka “Bored Becky”)

Co-Owner of Fame Lady Squad and Host of From The Blockchain

Multi-talented is an understatement when it comes to Ashley Smith. Smith got into real estate in Vancouver, Canada in 2008 and became the youngest president and board chair of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver for 10 years. During that time, blockchain technology was constantly in the discussion on how it may impact home buying and Smith ended up finding herself as a consumer of NFTs. Originally a community member of Fame Lady Squad NFTs, Smith wound up becoming a co-owner of the Fame Lady Squad through a series of events when it was revealed that the all-female founding team turned out to be men. Now, Smith considers herself to be an #apefluencer in the NFT space, trying to educate and empower women through Fame Lady Squad and her podcast, From The Blockchain.

11. Angela P. Quintero, Aditi Dubey, Miss Kaina, Nittia Thaprakhon, Sabrina Tekeste Araya, and Paulina Rzepka

The Models of Women Unite NFT

The Women Unite NFT collection consists of 222 photographs of independent, fashion-forward women. These women portray strength, beauty, and generosity in each NFT in hopes to impact women around the world. Having launched in January 2022, the current floor price as of February 19, 2022 is 2.3 ETH with 843 ETH in volume traded.

12. Elena Sinelnikova and Natalia Ameline

Founders of Crypto Chicks and the Crypto.Chicks NFT Collection

Crypto Chicks was founded in 2017 when two friends and software engineers, Elena Sinelnikova and Natalia Ameline, were helping each other navigate the complexities of blockchain technology. This inspired them to help educate women in blockchain, and now Crypto Chicks has evolved into an international, educational nonprofit that focuses on blockchain education for women through hackathons, conferences, and mentorship programs. The Crypto.Chicks NFT collection comprises 10,000 NFTs that celebrate the diverse beauty of all women. This was the first all-women PFP collection when the first collection launched on Opensea in May 2021.

13. Izzy

Founder and Artist of Women Tribe

In 2019, Izzy found herself in the NFT community after battling with heart issues that put her out of work for over a year. Inspired by the space, Izzy created Women Tribe, an 10,000 piece NFT collection inspired and dedicated to women across the world. The mission of Women Tribe is to “help women embrace their inner divinity and power.” As of February 19, 2022, the floor price is 0.298 ETH with a volume traded of 1.1K ETH. Izzy’s goal with Women Tribe is to “establish a new avenue through which to help women around the world,” according to an interview with Crypto Chicks.

ABOUT THE WRITER 

Elizabeth Sun is a contributor to Identity Review from the University of Southern California. Do you have information to share with Identity Review? Email us at press@identityreview.com. Find us on Twitter. 

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