The latest news of the metaverse comes from Nike now: the apparel giant recently announced the acquisition of the RTFKT (pronounced artifact—Ed.) virtual shoe producer brand.
The RTFKT brand was founded in 2020 by Benoit Pagotto, Chris Le and Steven Vasilev. The company has already collaborated with Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami to create a virtual avatar series, and teamed up with crypto artist FEWOCiOUS to create a collection of 600 NFT sneakers. Commenting on the investment, Nike CEO John Donahoe said: “This acquisition is another step that accelerates NIKE’s digital transformation and allows us to serve athletes and creators at the intersection of sport, creativity, gaming and culture. We’re acquiring a very talented team of creators with an authentic and connected brand. Our plan is to invest in the RTFKT brand, serve and grow their innovative and creative community and extend NIKE’s digital footprint and capabilities.”
Source: Designboom