RTFKT’s ‘Space Drip’ Is Turning NFT Designs Into Real-World Sneakers

A year after its initial collaboration with 19 different artists, Nike’s Web3 studio RTFKT is now democratizing footwear creation by giving each one of its artists their own official RTFKT Space Drip x Nike Air Force 1 sneaker line.

Nike acquired RTFKT last December and leverages the latest in-game engines, NFTs, blockchain authentication, and augmented reality to create one-of-a-kind virtual products and experiences.

In March 2021, RTFKT Studios launched its “Space Drip” project, where RTFKT curated 18 native NFT artists and gave them the opportunity to create custom sneakers of their own design. Paris Hilton was brought on as the 19th artist and created a special character design that could be acquired by collecting all of the other designs.

RTFKT Space Drip x Nike Air Force 1 : BEN MAURO

Humbled and honored to be part of the Space Drip project with @RTFKT last year, and to see all of our designs get turned into custom @Nike Air Force 1 shoes is beyond my wildest dreams! Huge congrats to everyone involved!💎👟✨ pic.twitter.com/dn9LHffYmd

— Ben Mauro (@BenMauroArt) May 24, 2022

watching that shoe spin is surreal, a true dream come true 🥹 https://t.co/XPkw9haOCt

— odious (@todayodious) May 22, 2022

First off all, I want to thank the whole @RTFKT team for helping me make one of my dreams come true! Beyond grateful!

I dedicate this achievement to one my brothers who’s no longer here. This one is for you Brook.

Ps. The other shoe is completely different 😈 https://t.co/JULiAYK503

— Zaid Kirdsey (@Jruffhouse) May 21, 2022

Now, RTFKT has translated these sneaker NFTs in the real world.

RTFKT co-founder Steven Vasilev Zaptio emphasized his goal of enabling artists to express their vision through sneakers as “an artistic medium.”

“Traditionally, landing a sneaker collab is very difficult and reserved for only the most acclaimed & notable creatives,” he explained.

“Removing barriers and democratizing footwear creation will allow the next wave of artists to bring new creativity & vision to the space,” he added in a tweet. “RTFKT is here to empower the next generation of creators.”

Currently, the NFT is undergoing its forging phase — physically and digitally evolving its utility, whereby people can use their previously-purchased Sneaker NFT to redeem a physical counterpart, which closed on June 15. Interested collectors can check out the digital versions forging collections on OpenSea.

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