Adidas NFT Project Brings Real-Life Apparel to Digital Space

By Brendan Menapace

The ties between physical and digital apparel are growing stronger. Brands are creating incentives to buy real-life merchandise if it comes with a digital counterpart for video games or Metaverse purposes, and vice versa.

Adidas, being one of the biggest apparel brands on the planet, isn't going to miss out on the action, and launched a line of NFTs in December called "Into the Metaverse," which will allow NFT holders access to special-edition real-life apparel drops.

WEN? EARLY ACCESS MINTING STARTS NOW

👉 https://t.co/8l8dPwbZWG

First look of the collaborative NFT with @gmoneyNFT @punkscomic and @BoredApeYC

Good luck and #TracksuitUp pic.twitter.com/REYOSdRbNT

— adidas Originals (@adidasoriginals) December 17, 2021

"We want to figure out the dopest thing to do in that space, and start involving the communities we're activating through this [NFT] in how we'd manifest in the virtual world," Adidas senior director of digital growth Tareq Nazlawy told The Verge.

Previously, Adidas partnered with NFT brand Bored Ape Yacht Club for a special-branded NFT that featured a custom Adidas track suit.

That track suit will be made available in real life for participants in the "Into the Metaverse" program. There's also a hoodie with a blockchain address on it and an orange beanie, each co-branded by crypto-adjacent companies Bored Ape, Punk Comics and Money.

Exclusivity is everything in both streetwear and the budding NFT marketplace. Having a Bored Ape design and the matching hoodie to go with it is a big claim to fame if you're paying attention to that space.