Nike & RTFKT Team Up on “iRL NFT” Air Force 1 Collection with Takashi Murakami

In December 2021, Nike acquired RTFKT - a firm who before partnering with the Swoosh, made waves in the non-fungible game through a sellout NFT sneaker collection, which netted roughly $3.1 million in revenue. 

Since then, Nike has tapped the digital-savvy resources of RTFKT to drop a series of NFT projects, only recently branching out into the real world to offer their patrons a chance to both hold and appreciate their investments IRL while AFK and after the success of the initial Cryptokicks iRL drop, RTFKT has announced its follow-up outing with the Swoosh, this time working on ten Air Force 1 colourways that will be physically available as an extension of the duo’s NFT ecosystem.

Each limited edition sneaker is inspired by the DNA types found in RTFKT's Clone X Avatar series, playing on various species - ranging from the ‘undead’ to ‘humans’, ‘aliens’ and more. Ten colourways of the Air Force 1 are available in limited quantities and besides the plethora of palettes, each shoe has been slightly modified to feature RTFKT’s signature in place of the typical inner swoosh. 

The collection has been meticulously curated by RTFKT, resulting in full-grain pigmented leather constructions and molded lenticular accents that exemplify the exceptional craftsmanship and attention to detail that both Nike and RTFKT are known for.

If crazy colourways in limited numbers weren’t enough, legendary artist Takashi Murakami has also applied his vibrant iconography over two of the ten colourways, featuring cartoonish characters on the Drip & DNA Air Force 1s.

Each shoe also comes equipped with a laboratory-themed vial in place of the typical silver lace-charm, also boasting an innovative design feature in the RTFKT WM Chip (World Merging NFC Chip) that connects the digital and physical worlds by linking the NFT to the NFC (more information here).

The chip also provides authentication capabilities, demonstrating RTFKT's commitment to innovation.

Although the RTFTK x Nike Air Force 1 collection is now sold out, the NFT sneakers can still be purchased on the secondary platform, OpenSea. Anyone who acquires a sneaker from NFT collection can redeem a physical pair during the ‘Forging’ event, which runs from April 24th to May 8th on RTFKT.com

Hit up RTFKT for more information.