Adidas Originals launches NFTs and buys a plot in the Sandbox metaverse

Adidas Originals will launch its first nonfungible tokens (NFTs) as it dives into Web 3 and the metaverse.

Of course, this is going to be a commercial part of the metaverse, where companies use NFTs — which use the transparency and security of the digital ledger of blockchain to authenticate unique digital items — to market both digital and physical products.

The Adidas Originals collection is inspired by and presented in partnership with NFT leaders such as Bored Ape Yacht Club, Gmoney, and the team behind the Punks Comic.

The NFTs are on sale today, and buyers will receive exclusive access to Adidas Originals experiences and products.

Access will include virtual wearables for blockchain-based gaming world The Sandbox and other platforms, plus physical products to match. The brand has also purchased a Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT, named Indigo Herz, to join one of the most active communities in the NFT space.

Adidas said members were given the chance to redeem a POAP (Proof of Attendance Protocol) NFT status badge, commemorating their presence at the start of the brand’s metaverse journey.

“It’s so refreshing to see a culturally influential brand like Adidas Originals work so closely hand-in-hand with the NFT community,” said Gmoney, in a statement. “At every step, they’ve included the right partners from the crypto, metaverse, and NFT community and listened to their thoughts at an early stage.”

Adidas Originals recreated Gmoney’s orange beanie to be featured digitally in the Punks Comic and physically as an item of clothing. Moreover, the brand has also reimagined the celebrities as 3D avatars to be featured in a cinematic video teasing the collaboration.

“As part of our ambition to celebrate ideas that are defining a new age of originality, we’ve landed at the forefront of creativity, which is the open metaverse,” said Erika Wykes-Sneyd, vice president of marketing and communications at Adidas Originals. “It’s a natural place for Adidas Originals to enter: a wild world where possibilities are truly limitless and where anyone can express and be rewarded for their most original ideas.”

Adidas has acquired a plot of virtual land inside The Sandbox, which it is working to fill with exclusive content and experiences. The brand’s digital assets will be secured in partnership with Coinbase, a leading crypto-exchange.

“Blockchain is one of the most innovative technologies of this generation. We see it unlocking boundless potential to connect with our members,” said Scott Zalaznik, the chief digital officer at Adidas. “The foundation we are building with Web3 will lead to new creative opportunities for partnerships,  engagement through digital goods, and a path towards a more inclusive future.”

Digital and physical wearables will be available for Adidas NFT owners in 2022.