RTFKT mints NFTs as physical goods

The Future. RTFKT’s new collection, dubbed CloneX, is not just exclusive to NFT holders but allows virtual items to be “forged” into physical ones and connected via a chip to their digital counterparts. Reminiscent of EQLZ’s sneaker accelerator and RTFKT’s collab with its owner, Nike, RTFKT could be mainstreaming a future where the value of our IRL wardrobe can be affected by its counterpart in the metaverse (and vice versa).

Forged in Web3
Highsnobiety reports that RTFKT is melding digital and physical fashion.

• Nike-owned RTFKT is debuting a collection called CloneX, which is available to people who hold the CloneX token to redeem physical and digital goods.
• Holders can mint up to two items that correspond with the respective “DNA” of their NFT (Human, Robot, Demon, Angel, Reptile, Undead, and Alien). They’re also eligible to receive a piece from the brand’s earlier collection, GenesisX.
• All the t-shirts, hoodies, pants, socks, and hats in the collection can then be “forged” into physical goods, giving the NFT holder a limited-edition item virtually and IRL.
• Each physical piece (except for socks and hats) that is forged will also have a Near Field Communication (NFC) chip stitched into them so it can be linked with the corresponding NFT.

The collection drops today on RTFKT’s website.

Phygital
RTFKT, which is quickly becoming the most innovative player in Web3 fashion, is demonstrating how pieces that exist both physically and digitally can raise the value of their counterparts in both.

• By allowing NFT holders to forge their virtual items into physical ones, it gives them a limited-edition item both virtually and IRL.
• The NFC chips act almost like a real-world blockchain, potentially allowing buyers to check where the pieces have been in IRL, which could affect their resale value.

As Highsnobiety’s Joseph Genest puts it: “Was this garment worn to the Super Bowl? Was it once owned by Drake?” Having a ledger to confirm answers to those questions could add a couple of zeroes when the clothes are eventually put up for auction on StockX.