By
Chimamanda U. Martha
April 17th, 2024
The announcement of RTFKT Studios’ collaboration with Atari came on the same day when Gucci became the first luxury brand to rollout its NFT with sneaker fashion tech company Wanna.
Creators of virtual sneakers and collectibles RTFKT Studios has collaborated with Atari to release a new non-fungible token (NFT) sneaker. Named the “Shiny Edition,” the sneaker is the star shoe of the series. The purple-colored sneaker looks like a slip-on version of an Atari console. Reports revealed that six artists were selected to create the other six sneakers in the series. The other shoes were up for auction on Rarible on the 11th of March. The shoes which were only available as NFTs could also be tried on, using the Snapchat or the MetaverseMe App to ensure proper fittings.
RTFKT stated the features of the NFT sneaker on its website:
“OLED dynamic screen displaying NFT animations or live Atari games. Cyberglass sole, allowing you to travel through the multiverse in style. First owner can redeem a wearable NFT on the Sandbox and Decentraland.”
Lately, RTFKT Studios have been making waves in the NFT fashion space. The virtual sneakers creators generated $3.1 billion in February through a sneaker collaboration with 18-year old artist FEWOCiOUS. The sneaker looks like traditional custom Air Force 1’s and sold over 600 times. A main feature of the sneakers is that they can be turned into real shoes, depending on the buyers’ choice.
RTFKT NFT Sneakers before New Sneaker Collaboration with Atari
Recently, RTFKT also designed a unique and pure gold sneaker for the Chinese New Year. The sneaker was auctioned on the Chinese digital marketplace and eventually sold for $28,000. In addition, RTFKT also auctioned “Cyber Sneakers,” which is the first viral metaverse sneaker bending realities after being shared by more than 50 million people. RTFKT also created “Doge Slippers,” which sold out at $3,675.
The announcement of RTFKT Studios’ collaboration with Atari came on the same day Gucci became the first luxury brand to rollout its NFT with sneaker fashion tech company Wanna. The shoe was designed by Alessandro Michele and available for purchase on both Gucci and Wanna’s app. The digital sneaker is up for sale at $11.99 on Gucci’s website and available at $8.99 on Wanna’s app.
The digital sneaker markets have been growing for some time now, and many believe that it is poised to further growth. Speaking to Business of Fashion, Wanna co-founder and CEO Sergey Arkhangelskiy said:
“In five or maybe 10 years a relatively chunk of fashion brands revenue will come from digital products. Our goal as a company is to actually supersede the product photos… and substitute it for something which is way more engaging and closer to offline shopping.”
In 2020, Gucci teamed with Wanna to work on try-ons for the Gucci Sneaker Garage. The Gucci Sneaker Garage is accessible via the Gucci app and accommodated gaming, art, stories, and others. It also serves as a virtual fitting room for trying shoes.