die-hard web3 fans can design their own NIKE shoes with .SWOOSH

.SWOOSH by Nike

Nike has launched .SWOOSH, a metaverse and web3-enabled community where creatives can design their own sneakers, but there’s a catch: they will co-produce the design for the shoe company and potentially own a cut from the sold virtual products. While that might not be a concern for others, some might consider it a dealbreaker.

Nike’s .SWOOSH has entered its beta stage, so the full fine print is yet to be defined, but the shoe company has already promised the users that the digital community will ‘offer an inclusive, equitable place for athletes, creators, collectors, and consumers to design and own the future of sport.’

images courtesy of .SWOOSH by Nike

The home to Nike’s virtual creations uses blockchain technology, or web3, to power its system. Nike virtual creations include sneakers, apparel, accessories, and other collectibles that users can wear in games or test with other immersive experiences. Fans who will join can also benefit from some Nike virtual creations via access to physical products and exclusive events that Nike will host.

Nike sees its new venture as a bringer of new opportunities to innovate, inspire, and move boundaries. ‘Sports and culture are evolving, so we want to build a future that’s creative, inclusive, and brimming with unlimited possibilities for everyone,’ the shoe company repeats in its news.

creatives will have the chance to co-produce their design for Nike

diversity, equity, & inclusion of nike

While .SWOOSH by Nike is still in its beta mode, the registration to join the digital community will be opening later this month. Nike writes that for the rest of the year, it will grow the platform and keep inviting creatives to sign up. The shoe company seems to repeat that it wants its community to be ‘as diverse and equitable as possible,’ but examples of how its team is going to go about with it seem lacking.

‘That means prioritizing local communities that Nike supports across its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, starting with the United States and select countries in Europe, and skill-building with them so that they’re ready to participate,’ Nike writes, not indicating yet how these are going to take place.

Nike’s virtual creations uses blockchain technology

.SWOOSH by Nike recognizes the many ways metaverse fans want to express their creative selves in the games and social platforms they are on, and the shoe company wants to be there with them, quite literally and digitally, co-creating products with them.

‘This approach meets consumers wherever they play and shop sports and offers a gateway into a new digital arena,’ says Ron Faris, GM of Nike Virtual Studios. ‘We are shaping a marketplace of the future with an accessible platform for the web3-curious. In this new space, the .SWOOSH community and Nike can create, share, and benefit together.’

No need to be a web3 expert

Good news for non-web3 experts, Nike writes that benign a master of web3 isn’t required. ‘We’re making the .SWOOSH experience as simple and safe as possible so everyone can participate,’ the shoe company writes. Nike plans to host regular events online and in real life to help fans learn about virtual creations and how .SWOOSH works.

Nike is looking into debuting the first digital collection of the virtual community in 2023. Shortly after the first digital collection drops, members will have the chance to participate in a community challenge to win the prize of co-creating virtual products with Nike.

‘Those winners can earn a royalty on the virtual product they help co-create,’ writes Nike. The shoe company summarizes the pursuit by underlining that it is democratizing the web3 experience so that ‘everyone can collect, create and own a piece of this new digital world.’

Nike virtual creations include sneakers, apparel, accessories, and other collectibles