Apparel and sports gear manufacturer Adidas is one of the first mainstream apparel brands to adopt NFTs. Their debut collection was titled Into the Metaverse. However, it was not an exclusive NFT collection from Adidas. Instead, the company partnered with gmoney, Bored Ape Yacht Club, and PUNKS Comic to launch their first-ever NFT collection.
The popularity of the Into the Metaverse collection speaks for its success. In less than three days, it had made approximately $43 million through 11,391 Ether.
The initial launch from Adidas Originals Co. featured 30,000 copies of one digital asset. In phase 1, almost 20,000 were sold out. People owning these NFTs would also get a physical copy of PUNKS Comic Issue 2: X Marks the Drop featuring all of the characters of the NFT. It is not a collectible NFT. Instead, people owning these can use them in the Sandbox metaverse game.
Nike, the top rival of Adidas, is also not far behind. They have joined hands with a virtual sneakers brand – RTFKT. Nike’s NFT collection is also among the main trending collections on OpenSea. However, Adidas seems to be ahead in the NFT race at the moment.
NFTs have a deep and longstanding relationship with sports and sports-gear manufacturers. It is a great way for these brands to expand their customer base and increase sales. Apart from that, the revenue generated from the NFTs is impressive in itself. In the future, we can expect to see other athletic gear manufacturers joining the NFT race.
