Today I will tell you about the brand RTFKT, which brought fashion to the world of NFT, was bought by Nike, and became one of the volume leaders on OpenSea.
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All information in this article is current at the time of publication. The text contains a huge number of links to various sources, items on marketplaces, wallets, etc. If you see underlined text, feel free to click on it, for example here.
History
Team
Numbers
The secret of success.
Conclusion
The first genesis of RTFKT began with a pair based on Iron Man from Marvel, it was an AR model of the shoe, which was based on the legendary pair of Jordan 1. The video of this sneaker became popular and gave the first impetus to the popularity of RTFKT.
https://twitter.com/clegfx/status/1121852626323165184?s=20&t=cwUYX64tyiswFtTDuAAa4g
RTFKT continues to create digital footwear concepts based on MARVEL and creates Air Thanos 1s sneakers.
https://twitter.com/clegfx/status/1128343368952532992?s=20&t=nEse62DoXbChCyMILT5v_g
The birth of the brand began with a team of three. Benoit was the branding and marketing director for the Fnatic Esports team. While working there, he met Chris, who is one of the most prolific skin designers in Counter-Strike, and together they adapted these skins for sneakers. Chris has previously worked in hip-hop, music and the film industry and has even made several films. Steven is a digital marketing and sneaker expert who previously created a successful automation company called Supreme to help people buy clothes without waiting.
In February 2020, RTFKT created "CYBERSNEAKER" and photoshopped it into a photo of Elon Musk. Later, on October 13, the CyberSneaker NFT was sold at a SuperRare auction for 30 ETH. The buyer was @ericwithac, and the NFT was then sent to an anonymous wallet, where it is now.
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xb932a70a57673d89f4acffbe830e8ed7f75fb9e0/14504
In May 2020, the community challenge was completed and the Bones Drop Sneakers, inspired by a character from Fortnite, were created.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1264265569638981634?s=20&t=4KC5bkXkZzIao3JR_bnnKw
In November 2020, inspired by the Air Jordan 1 OG, RTFKT created the X Evolutions and auctioned them off at MetaGrail. It was a collaboration with artist MGXS, and the final design was created using AI, with new paint colors added with each successive bid. The winner of the auction also received a pair of custom sneakers. The final "The X Evolutions" had six colors and was assembled by WhaleShark for 22 ETH.
https://twitter.com/WhaleSharkETH/status/1559391333080449025?s=20&t=e87XEtkVd66hrxD6TYBVfQ
That same month, to celebrate the launch of the PS5, a pair of RTFKT sneakers were released, demonstrating their ability to create their own sneakers with features of current trends. Using augmented reality and Snapchat Lens, anyone could try in AR digital sneakers before purchasing them. On December 21 were sold to user @wpking for 4.2 ETH and currently listed for 137,330 ETH.
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xb932a70a57673d89f4acffbe830e8ed7f75fb9e0/16071
In January 2021 there was a collaboration with the 19-year-old artist FEWOCiOUS. The "FEWO Crypto Brick" collection was released, with a total of 24 pieces. The NFT acted as "access passes" that gave holders access to future NFT issues.
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0x50B8740D6a5CD985e2B8119Ca28B481AFa8351d9/5
At the end of January, a sneaker concept with a PC inside was created. It was a collaboration with the NZXT brand. The video made went viral on the Internet and brought RTFKT wide popularity.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1351966812880183296?s=20&t=ZGZ-541Op4YTg-Jf8lEV4g
In February 2021, Metajacket OG was created and auctioned off on SuperRare. User @ajv won the auction and bought NFT for 37 ETH. Then NFT was moved to wallets ajvchuk, ajvnft2, ColdajvCold and was sold for 0.5 ETH to user BWeb3 (I do not know if it was an error in price or a special method of transferring NFT to another wallet)
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xb932a70a57673d89f4acffbe830e8ed7f75fb9e0/19616
Four other 1/1 Artist Editions were also simultaneously auctioned off at Digitalax Marketplace with:
All jackets except Toby1Tooth are on the same wallet right now, the Toby jacket here. Bids at the auction could not be found, there were no secondary sales.
There was also a special exclusive for FaZe Banks in the form of a Metaverse jacket.
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0x50B8740D6a5CD985e2B8119Ca28B481AFa8351d9/56
The first collection of three FEWOCIOUS shoe designs was a 7-minute-long Open Edition. This meant that the supply went as much as number of shoes minted during the 7-minutes on Nifty Gateway. The three tiers were Rare, Epic, and Legendary, and costs $3K, $5K, and $10K respectively. Each NFT came with the Physical sneakers, and buyers were later surprised with a hoodie and a custom Ledger during the delivery of the sneakers.
In addition, a 1/1 Fewo Charm was auctioned off, and 300 Fewo Drips were released on a lucky draw basis. The Fewo World Trophy and Fewo World Mini Charm were also Bonus Items given to major collectors who supported the drop.
March was a very busy month for RTFKT. At the beginning of March, the Golden Ox Enchanted Sneaker auction was launched. The pair was purchased by user Mialalala2 for 15.75 ETH and subsequently resold to the collector who owns a large number of RTFKT sneakers for 35 ETH.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1368679850861498369?s=20&t=IBA6oTqsKfTFDoVZN5f6Ew
In March 2021, RTFKT partnered with ATARI to launch a series of virtual sneakers used in Metaverse (The SandBox and Decentraland). An exclusive pair of ATARI SNEAKER SHINY ltd edition was released and sold for 10 ETH to user @Cronus, who holds this NFT.
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xb932a70a57673d89f4acffbe830e8ed7f75fb9e0/21133
At the same time Rarible released six other Artist releases (50 units each) in collaboration with:
Each sneaker was offered for sale for 2 ETH, now the price of one starts at 35-40 ETH.
That same month, a partnership with Eva Bravado's label, WHO DECIDES WAR , was a strategic move that demonstrated RTFKT's desire to focus on fashion in a broader sense, beyond sneakers. DAISY DISTRESSED DENIM RTFKT ltd edition and VIOLET FUSION DENIM RTFKT ltd edition jeans were created and sold at a SuperRare auction, whose owners were able to get a physical copy of their jeans. DAISY DISTRESSED DENIM was sold at auction for 5.94 ETH to user @RockyPocky123 (NFT is now in the wallet-vault of the same user). VIOLET FUSION DENIM were sold for 2.5 ETH to the same user as DAISY DISTRESSED DENIM. Both NFTs are on the same wallet.
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xb932a70a57673d89f4acffbe830e8ed7f75fb9e0/21723
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xb932a70a57673d89f4acffbe830e8ed7f75fb9e0/21724
At the end of March, in collaboration with the virtual character FNMEKA, the "SUPER TOILET," a portable Lamborghini-style pot designed by RTFKT, was created and auctioned off by SuperRare. The buyer was the famous Dutch DJ Don Diablo, the toilet was bought for 4 ETH. The NFT is still on the DJ's wallet.
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xb932a70a57673d89f4acffbe830e8ed7f75fb9e0/21852
At the end of March, a SPACE DRIP collection of 152 space characters from the maker community was created and sold for 0.5 ETH apiece.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1375386191755902976?s=20
In early April, another SPACE DRIP 1.2 collection was created. This drop contained 348 NFTs at the same price of 0.5 ETH apiece.
The studio's biggest collaboration was probably in April 2021, when RTFKT collaborated with 18 artists, including Paris Hilton, to create custom sneakers. The founder of ClegFX also put his design on a pair of sneakers.
Instead of launching a fixed number of units per design, RTFKT launched this drop as mystery capsules, from which holders had to exchange their capsules for a random design – this ‘gachapon’ mechanism would later be employed in Clone X and MNLTH.
After more than a year, RTFKT released forging for this collection in June 2022. Forging refers to the redemption for physical products. There was also “a twist” to the drop in how the shoes will be based off the Nike AF1, and each shoe will have a Nike Swoosh on one side and an RTFKT Blade on the other. Space Drip holders had to pay 0.33ETH to receive a Sneaker NFT, which was then used to redeem for the physical sneakers of that particular design. Delivery was scheduled for Aug/Sep 2022.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1379191834388365317?s=20&t=8J9kRo16IbcJdSIomNmmSA
In April 2021, RTFKT already had a large audience and there was a giveaway in which fans had a chance to win exclusive Meta Haze and Crypto Kush 420 sneakers. Five pairs were raffled off among Twitter followers and five among Instagram followers. Recent sales of sneakers on the secondary market were in the 2 ETH range.
https://twitter.com/rtfkt/status/1384835910391500811
May 2021 was a memorable RTFKT collaboration with sneaker legend Jeff Staple. The Meta-Pigeon collection was created. An exclusive pair of The Meta-Pigeon Boss was sold at a SuperRare auction to user @soby for 25.3 ETH. Subsequently, Soby accepted an offer from user bottiblue.eth and sold his sneakers for 0.3 ETH. The legendary pair is now in the zkysl.eth wallet.
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xb932a70a57673d89f4acffbe830e8ed7f75fb9e0/24329
At the same time, THE META-PIGEON MK pairs of 100 pieces at a starting price of $2021 per pair and THE METAPIGEON K-MINUS pairs of 212 pieces at a starting price of $500 per pair were created. Now the price for a pair of K-MINUS starts at 1.5 ETH and MK at 3 ETH on the secondary market.
https://twitter.com/PlanetRock2012/status/1460473171514060800?s=20&t=7J7eABa6k81NpMrn9m5C1A
The third and final product is in the form of the NFT Collectible Cyber-Pigeon. This "legendary" product was available in limited quantities - 100 copies - but cost $1 for those interested in the collection but not willing to spend. A 1/1 Meta Pigeon Boss was also auctioned on SuperRare and was sold for 25.3E. Additionally, all holders who forged i.e. redeemed for their physicals received a Meta Pigeon OG. This was a surprise airdrop, which promised no utility at the time of the drop, but later on was included the list of pre-sale items that gave access to the Clone X Mint Vial drop.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1390033992326463489?s=20&t=7J7eABa6k81NpMrn9m5C1A
The main breakthrough of this month was the Punks project. The Punks project was genius because it demonstrated RTFKT's ability to create custom sneakers by working with a very reputable OG community in the NFT space. The Punks sneakers are 1/1 unique because all Punks are unique and all Punks owners could redeem them for 1ETH. A total of 245 custom Punk sneakers were redeemed.
Crypto Punk owners received:
NFT sneakers in the style of their punk;
A physical version of the sneakers;
1/1 VXL Portrait;
Metaverse Wearable voxel files.
Today, the flor for a pair of shoes starts at $3,000.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1394008709190324224?s=20&t=JgkJj_ZDFrEltLl0yFeuWw
At the end of May, the NZXT Creator Challenge was completed and two pairs of extra sneakers were sold in collaboration with GuiMarconi and Mikered. The pairs were sold for 0.1 ETH each in quantities of 10.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1397988528492105730?s=20&t=macPZSRSXigKtBCcp2qqNg
In the early summer of 2021 a collaboration between RTFKT and Highsnobiety happened. A collection of eight hoverboards, two pairs of Alien sneakers and an Eiffel-Invasion NFT were created together. The hoverboard collection was created jointly by artists we already know:
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xb932a70a57673d89f4acffbe830e8ed7f75fb9e0/25582
Timpers (Was purchased by user @nftmuseum for 1.65 ETH)
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xb932a70a57673d89f4acffbe830e8ed7f75fb9e0/25583
Brock Hofer (Was purchased by user @deeze for 2.75 ETH)
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xb932a70a57673d89f4acffbe830e8ed7f75fb9e0/25584
Defaced (Was purchased by user @samiracle for 1.6 ETH)
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xb932a70a57673d89f4acffbe830e8ed7f75fb9e0/25585
NoParadigms (Was purchased by user @ninjaboffinfor for 1.1 ETH)
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xb932a70a57673d89f4acffbe830e8ed7f75fb9e0/25587
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xb932a70a57673d89f4acffbe830e8ed7f75fb9e0/25588
Zaid Kirdsey (Was purchased by user @theeagle for 1.93 ETH)
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xb932a70a57673d89f4acffbe830e8ed7f75fb9e0/25590
Eric Lefaure (Was purchased by user @auregimon for 2 ETH)
https://opensea.io/assets/ethereum/0xb932a70a57673d89f4acffbe830e8ed7f75fb9e0/25591
Each hoverboard holder received a pair of Alien Carapace Shiny Sneaker NFT
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1407044276547207168?s=20&t=ldUCNp3TyKm10AJ-sZKVcw
And also Eiffel-Invasion NFT
The last of the smaller joint releases (except for their larger releases) was a community-initiated challenge where creators could submit designs for the RTFKT toy. The last winners were DeFi Demon, The Meta-Alchemist, and Urloc & Ghale, which were released at 0.1 ETH, 20 each, on Rarible. Now the price of toys starts at 6 ETH.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1422661498225242119?s=20&t=Ppx97ZQi-couU-yj34YQfg
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1422665756840448001?s=20&t=WNzo5TujtczpQ2gL5AeAYw
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1422671400486199301?s=20&t=m1sD2g-un5R6BeQ9bNk9rw
The first news about the upcoming iconic Clone X collection has surfaced. The project was called "Akira" and the first avatars were shown.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1437087519154311172?s=20&t=qoSyh2noguRA4ysmJ6SUXA
In October 2021 a snapshot was taken of all previous NFT holders from RTFKT and RTFKT MINTDISC of two kinds, red and blue. The red disk gave the opportunity to mint 3 Mint Vials Capluse, the blue only 1.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1463916354034184196?s=20&t=AR3HbAfQSaTkJs3rAyr-qQ
One of the most pivotal moments in RTFKT history took place. The presale of the CLONEX MINTVIAL capsules from which the Clone X avatar emerged. The collection, in collaboration with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, became iconic and leading the way.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1464672794965331971?s=20&t=NzwxJEjlLpi9OBTMA_-HEA
At the end of the same month, RTFKT delighted Clone X holders with a new NFT in the collection, the Space Pod. It's a home in the meta universe that you can set up to your liking and place your NFTs from other collections. And then show it to everyone who wants to see it. It all works in 3D, you can move around like in a computer game.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1474786809456517122?s=20&t=pWmgRfQxlNL8AD6ljXoe3w
Also the news came out that RTFKT studio was bought by Nike.
In February 2022, RTFKT distributed MNLTH to all clone holders. MNLTH remained dormant, and the team created a lot of hype leading up to the reveal.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1489902023109656578?s=20&t=JQfEap_xAWopBDMnbzEwEQ
The next gift for holders was the PodX (Loot Pod), which docks to the base capsule. It is a large marble hall, like a museum hall. The perfect place to display all your NFT art that wouldn't fit in the small base pod. The Nike family logos on the wall and a special niche also hint that the virtual sneakers will stand there later, like the shelves with sneakers of collectors in the real world.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1490381819052761088?s=20&t=3lViDFajdiTNdzuvqYVjOA
At the end of February, RTFKT delighted fans with a collaboration with the metaverse game The SandBox. They created a METADUNGEON map and a collection of avatars for the Clone X Holders.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1497259836261683203?s=20&t=mHsHR1a83Uuj6DVhV54pXQ
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1497284172297261057?s=20&t=Ovz3F4LxgV984aPqdZTLIQ
In April, all the puzzles of MNLTH were solved. Unlocking each MNLTH gave owners one CryptoKicks, one random vial of skins, and MNLTH2.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1519100532853460994?s=20&t=bAQAQrOYcBWoJ_ZLAq1lKg
In May 2022, RTFKT hosted a series of holding events in New York City. Starting with the Clone X exhibition held in Gagosian, followed by a private dinner for top tier RTFKT collectors, and then a party for all holders. At the end of the party, 888 sets of Murakami t-shirts and bags were handed out. Not everyone who attended left with a t-shirt and a big bag, so they later gave away an NFT t-shirt to all attendees, which can be forged in the future. Attendees at the Clone X Virtual Exhibition at OnCyber also received RTFKT x Murakami Blade, a 3D collectible that can be displayed in OnCyber spaces.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1524610282877767680?s=20&t=gd9Q6bBRM-zIVaGylTaSMg
In July 2022, RTFKT released an AR hoodie to Clone and CryptoKicks holders. It was available for 0.2 ETH apiece, and there were 8,888 on a first-come, first-served basis. This was one of their innovations, as each hoodie came with an NFC chip that could be tethered to an NFT to prove ownership. This is also the second instance of NFC chips (after the Space Drip sneakers). The hoodie will give its wearer wings if seen through an augmented reality app.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1550251728142012420?s=20&t=1FLLxVv-U3szUddJmfX2EQ
RTFKT have launched a large-scale clothing collection - Clone X Forging SZN 1. That Сlone X holders will be able to mint, depending on their Clone DNA.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1564333647016206347?s=20&t=aKS8Ce8J8NuUUXkQGoOv5g
At the end of October 2022 there was a collaboration of RTFKT with the world leader in the production of high-tech suitcases premium - RIMOWA. The 2,222 WorkerBots (0.07 ETH each) and 888 "Meta Artisan" Original Cabin Luggage (2 ETH each) were sold by raffle. Owners of the suitcases will be able to order them in real life, there is no information yet about the use of the robots.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1585633123915927552?s=20&t=modujZvM_JruDalRZtwpog
A new collection from RTFKT called ANIMUS awaits Clone X holders in November. Holders will receive eggs, no information about their usefulness is available at this time.
https://twitter.com/RTFKT/status/1578470151304855553?s=20&t=modujZvM_JruDalRZtwpog
The creators of RTFKT are three people: Benit0(Co-Founder), ClegFX(Creative Director, Co-Founder) and Zaptio(Co-Founder). In addition to them there is a huge number of talented designers, artists, creators, developers, whose number is growing every day.
Let's calculate how much the Clone X Holder could have earned since the mint.
RTFKT Space Pod: 1.6 ETH
RTFKT Loot Pod: 1 ETH
RTFKT MNLTH: 5 ETH
RTFKT x Nike Dunk Genesis CRYPTOKICKS: 1.22 ETH
RTFKT SKIN VIAL: 0.67 ETH
RTFKT MNLTH2: 2 ETH
RTFKT X NIKE AR HOODIE: 0.15 ETH
Total of almost 13 ETH, this amount completely pays off the price of the clone today on the secondary market. (Prices are calculated on the day of launch of each NFT)
An important strategic move for RTFKT has been ongoing collaborations, with almost every collection created in collaboration with a talented artist/known brand or studio. This decision expanded the brand's audience and attracted many fans and collectors.
The most gratifying thing to see after many months is RTFKT's continued emphasis on community and co-creating the future. If a brand decides to do something completely irrelevant, the community can react negatively and possibly abandon the brand. Likewise, the community can also make certain suggestions and push the agenda in a certain direction. Beyond that, the community is made up of well-to-do people who don't discount the brand's products.
This event had a major impact on the popularity of the brand. Nike's entry into web3 gave RTFKT the opportunity and resources to create new products. It should not be forgotten that Nike is the leading clothing and footwear brand, so RTFKT will inevitably become popular even among people who are not associated with web3.
Artifact has always felt the need of society and created trends that spread quickly by the Internet community. In the early days, RTFKT was all about custom-made digital sneakers and cool augmented reality filters, spreading and developing this love of fashion through Instagram and TikTok. They also hit the scene pretty early on, at a time when NFT was just about to take off, along with Top Shot. A time when people were stuck in isolation due to the onset of the pandemic and spent an inordinate amount of time online.
While some keep releasing a series of simple generated NFT pictures, RTFKT shows something of real value, creating an entire ecosystem for the community. It is now one of the best NFT projects in the world. The brand can truly be called the founders of fashion in Web3. RTFKT leads the Web3 Creator Economy. Creator economy is an economy where holders can create NFT resources and make money from their work. RTFKT added this when they gave their owners the 3D files, tools, and full commercial rights to Clone X.
The Creator Economy is the future. By allowing owners to create their own NFT resources and profit from them, users are rewarded for contributing to the ecosystem.
Can you see how crazy big this ecosystem is? RTFKT has given thousands of holders the opportunity to create value for the ecosystem and make money from it.
Conclusion. RTFKT were the first to :
Entered the digital NFT apparel space;
Merged digital and physical apparel;
entered the Web3 Creator economy.
Current indicators suggest that RTFKT has a great future ahead of it.
Thank you for reading to the end. I hope this article has given you some new insights into this beautiful project.
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