Nike and its acquired Web3 company RTFKT are making their voices known once more; this time, they introduced the new Air Force 1 collection, which combines physical sneakers with NFTs.
The collection includes Nike’s iconic shoe model in a range of colors and styles, as well as limited edition versions designed by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami.
Each physical pair of sneakers has a digital equivalent, and only NFT holders will be able to redeem the physical pair during the Forging event, which runs from April 24 to May 8.
While the Pre-Forging event collection is accessible on OpenSea and other secondary marketplaces, the Forging event will be held on RTFKT’s official website.
The physical pairs are planned to be produced following the Forging event and shipped in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The collaboration between RTFKT and Murakami will also extend to this year’s GEISAI, an artistic and immersive event created and directed by the artist and Kaikai Kiki. At the event, the RTFKT x Nike Air Force 1 collection will be on display, as well as RTFKT’s Clone X and upcoming Animus work.
This is not the first time Nike and RTFKT have created a phygital collection; in December 2022, they paid homage to Nike Mag, designed by Tinker Hatfield and launched in 1989, by releasing NFTs linked to new physical sneakers inspired by the Cryptokicks NFT shoes.
Similarly, this is not Takashi Murakami’s first involvement in a Web3-related initiative; in February, he collaborated with Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot to design and release a new series of 13 one-of-a-kind watches linked to NFTs.
