If you’re in the business of making shoes and you aren’t exploring the metaverse, you’re already 10 steps behind the competition. With adidas’ rollout with Prada and Nike’s creative cooperation with RTFKT, the market is expanding swiftly, and PUMA (XETRA:PUM.DE -2.17%) is the next big player. The first metaverse website experience, Black Station, has recently been unveiled by the German sportswear company.
The digital project, which includes limited-edition redeemable physical sneakers as part of its “FUTROGRADE” exhibition, was unveiled during New York Fashion Week. Customers may delve into PUMA’s future and enjoy web3 activations throughout the year and beyond thanks to the site’s immersive and interactive features.
“Twenty years ago, Black Station was PUMA’s home for our most innovative designs in fashion,” said Adam Petrick, PUMA’s Chief Brand Officer. “Given the boundaries we are pushing from a product design and digital standpoint, we found it fitting to bring Black Station back as a new portal for digital exploration
across fashion, sport performance, our heritage classics, and innovation.”
Starting on September 7, the first two portals of Black Station will reveal exclusive, never-before-seen Nitro NFRNO and Nitro Fastroid sneakers that are linked to PUMA’s NFT NitroPass mint. People who have a Nitropass and have “minted” it have access to two NFTs: one that gives them access to physical products and another that gives them access to a customized experience related to the shoe they chose. Minters will be able to get their physical kicks by burning their product-claimed NFT once the Futuregrade shoe is done.
“Our team of designers took a lot of liberties when envisioning these footwear styles. We told them the sky is the limit. As a result, we were able to harness their creativity without the typical confines and limitations of our shoe production process,” said Heiko Desens, Global Creative Director and Head of Innovation. “What is just as impressive as the actual designs is the fact that we were actually able to work with development to bring these stunning designs to life.”
