Nike x RTFKT digital sneakers are finally here! Nike has worked with digital fashion studio RTFKT on a collection of NFT sneakers called Nike Cryptokicks. The collaboration follows Nike’s acquisition of RTFKT last December for an undisclosed sum, announcing the next generation collectibles that merge culture and gaming. Since then, Nike and RTFKT were working on the sportswear giant’s step into the world of digital clothing for five months, keeping everything secret.
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Digital innovation pioneer, RTFKT was founded in 2020, by Benoit Pagotto, Chris Le and Steven Vasilev, with an aim to redefine the boundaries of physical and digital value to serve their broad community of creators. The brand creates one of a kind virtual products and experiences, for in game engines, NFTs, blockchain authentication and augmented reality.
This acquisition is another step that accelerates Nike’s digital transformation and allows us to serve athletes and creators at the intersection of sport, creativity, gaming and culture. We’re acquiring a very talented team of creators with an authentic and connected brand. Our plan is to invest in the RTFKT brand, serve and grow their innovative and creative community and extend Nike’s digital footprint and capabilities. – says John Donahoe, President and CEO of NIKE, Inc.
Nike’s long-awaited entrance into the metaverse finally happened this April, when the brands reveled the collection on Discord and Twitter. They reimagined the legendary Nike Dunks for the first collection, including 9 different skins to choose from. The iconic Nike Dunk, as imagined by RTFKT for the year 2052 – as they describe them, are made of screens all around, powered by DRM OS. The sneaker can equip NFT based skins vials to change its looks. A new part of the RTFKT Ecosystem, introducing Sneaker Skins, made with legendary collaborators and creators all around the Metaverse to shape the future of sneakers, starting today. – says the press release.
Buy actual Nike Dunks at GOAT and Flight Club.
The brand is using a Skin Vial tech, that allows the users to customize their Nike Dunk Genesis with exclusive skins designed by RTFKT’s community of artists and collaborators. The sneakers are available to everyone who owns RTFKT’s mysterious digital box NFT Mnlth. It was was airdropped for free, to the owners of a Clone-X project that RTFKT created with artist Takashi Murakami last November. Everyone who didn’t sell or trade their Mnlth can now exchange it for a new one, that contains a Cryptokick.
To get you started, RTFKT offers the nine skins, that will let you customize the sneakers with various looks and designs. It is very similar to a video game skill tree, but the evolution mode isn’t yet activated. That feature is planned for the future, where creators and partners will be available to create their own skins.
One of the nine skins is created by the contemporary visual artist Takashi Murakami, who already worked with a brand on a Clone-X project. Our first Skins Vials collection: EVO X, are Skins powered by Evolutive tech, allowing collectors to evolve their designs in time and pick different upgrades and powers. EVO X features 8 DNA’s from our legendary Clone X project. – says RTFKT.
The sneaker and NFT communities have embraced the project with a lot of enthusiasm, asking the brands to bring the model IRL on the social media. The Mnlth is just the start to a future of serving athletes in this space. – says Nike in the statement and we can’t wait to see more from this collaboration.
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im obsessed with these nikes!