ASICS Launches NFT ‘Digital Footwear’ at Auction This Week
ASICS is announcing the first-of-its-kind ASICS Sunrise Red NFT Collection, not online or in stores, but via digital auction.
Another wave of the future — digital footwear — is here. ASICS’ new footwear collection isn’t actually footwear at all … it’s a massive 189-piece collection of nine ASICS digital footwear products. And all the products will be up for grabs via NFT.
If you’re lost, NFT stands for nonfungible token, which is a unique token that’s part of the Ethereum blockchain. While still a new concept, NFTs are most commonly used to trade and sell digital art.
ASICS’ nine shoe models consist of Limited Edition releases made up of 20 NFTs per shoe, and Gold Edition releases (shoes in metallic gold) for just one NFT per shoe — meaning just one lucky person can own this unique digital product. Each NFT shoe is individually numbered 1-20, and for the Gold releases 1 of 1.
You can think of NFTs sort of like buying a rare artist print, or collecting one of a certain number of trading cards in existence. For the ASICS NFT auction, the highest bidder will win each edition; customers can also place multiple bids.
“The launch of the ASICS Sunrise Red NFT Collection signals the start of a landmark new venture for ASICS as it moves into the world of NFTs,” the brand wrote in a release.
Here are the NFT footwear models up for auction:
- Gel-Lyte III: An update on the split-tongue sneaker originally designed by Shigeyuki Mitsui in 1990.
- Gel-Quantum 360: A sneaker shoe with 180 degrees of gel cushioning.
- Gel-Resolution 8: A tennis shoe with gel cushioning in the heel and midfoot, 10mm drop.
- Metaracer: A road racing shoe with breathable upper, improved toe-spring shape, carbon fiber plate, and 9mm drop.
- Metaspeed Sky: A road racing shoe with a foam midsole, carbon fiber plate, minimal cushion, and a 5mm drop.
- Metarise: A volleyball shoe with a sock upper design, responsive foam midsole, and sport-specific curved heel.
- Metasprint: A track and field spike shoe designed to shorten the period of contact with the ground and increase propulsion, with a honeycomb carbon fiber outsole plate.
- ASICS Sandals (new model)
- ASICS Flip-Flops (new model)
In addition, auction proceeds will be reinvested into the digital arts community through ASICS’ new Digital Goods Artist-In-Residence Program. Through that program, ASICS hopes to continue to collaborate with artists to design the next wave of NFT Footwear.
All NFT owners will get digital and 3D rendering files of their shoes. The only small difference between the limited edition and gold edition models: Gold NFT footwear owners will also be gifted a future NFT from an artist selected for ASICS’ Digital Goods Artist-in-Residence program.
The auction will be held on OpenSea.io, starting at 12 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, July 15, and ending at 12 p.m. ET on Monday, July 19, 2021. Learn more on how to bid.
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