RTFKT's Nike AF1s Are Finally Dropping IRL
When Nike-owned RTFKT revealed its Clone X lookbook midway through last year, it pretty much went over the head of anyone over the age of 40.
The lookbook featured a range of collaborative digital Nike products, including a selection of 10 Air Force 1s with some designed by Japanese designer Takashi Murakami.
RTFKT — which was acquired by Nike in December 2021 — later revealed that the items within the collection would in fact be available in physical form too (similar to their December Cryptokick release), but only to those who had purchased and owned one of its NFTs.
But there was another catch: the AF1s weren’t included!
Eight months on (and presumably many disappointing cops later), this now looks as if it’s about to change after RTFKT and Nike revealed that the collection of AF1s will be launched to anyone in possession of the NFT, and can be redeemed during a Forging event running from April 24 to May 8 on the RTFKT website.
Each limited edition sneaker has drawn inspiration from the 10 DNA types found in RTFKT's Clone X anime-inspired avatar project and also includes Murakami’s Drip & DNA AF1s.
The collection will also include some brand new materials and finishes such as Black Hole Black, Lenticular, and Alien midsole wraps, with each one also boasting an embedded RTFKT WM Chip (World Merging NFC Chip) that connects the digital and physical worlds by linking the NFT to the NFC.
While at present the NFTs are sold-out, they can still be purchased on the secondary platform, OpenSea.
With limited quantities available for each design (a total of 60 to 4,182 pairs available for varying styles) you’re going to have your work cut out to get your hands on a piece of sneaker history. But, that’s all a part of the fun, right?
