In a long-awaited move, RTFKT has started the claim process for its Cryptokicks iRL sneakers. Web3 first caught a glimpse of Cryptokicks at nft now’s The Gateway, where it was revealed that the NFT-enabled physical shoes have breakthrough features such as customizable lighting, automatic lacing, wireless charging, and much more.
Now holders of NFTs from the Cryptokiks iRL Collection have finally been given a timeline of when to expect their corresponding physical sneakers. And it’s all about ‘de-hubbing’ and ‘forging’.
Claim your kicks
When the Cryptokicks collection was first introduced in December, RTFKT simultaneously announced the Interdimensional hub. Using the Hub, holders of Lace Engine NFTs (essentially the Cryptokicks coin pass) would be able to reserve their sneakers by striking a “hubbed Cryptokicks iRL” NFT to use at a later date to claim their sneakers.
That later date turned out to be May 15, when RTFKT opened the unhubbing process, giving holders of hubbed Cryptokicks the opportunity to counterfeit their NFTs. Counterfeiting, a staple of the RTFKT ecosystem, is a transaction that allows a user to claim a physical wearable and mark their NFT as claimed in the process.
As far as Cryptokicks goes, unhubbing and counterfeiting are essentially the same thing and allow users to enter a US shipping address on the company’s website to exchange the physical iRL sneaker for shipping. It is important to note that this process closes on May 29 and is only available to US-based Cryptokicks holders – a legal consideration that was explained by co-founder of RTFKT Steven Vasilev shortly after the first Cryptokicks coin.
During the claim period – which comes at the end of the RTFKT x Nike Air Force 1s counterfeiting event – buying, selling, transferring or trading Cryptokicks iRL hubbed NFTs will be temporarily disabled to prevent holders from selling their sneakers after completing the claim period . blacksmith event. To that end is the Cryptokicks iRL contract was stuck on May 15, the start of the claim period, to avoid any possible discontent or confusion.
Once the claims window closes on May 29, RTFKT will update the metadata of all unhubbed NFTs, changing their status from hubbed to spoofed and, in turn, restoring trade in the process. Shipment of the Cryptokicks iRL sneakers is set to start in Augustbut only those who fake their sneakers before the window closes can receive physical material.
This influential event marks a major evolution in the digital fashion space and an extremely important milestone in the relationship between RTFKT and its parent company, Nike. As the lines between digital and physical continue to blur in the metaverse, RTFKT’s innovative approach is undoubtedly leading the way, with Cryptokicks being a testament to the limitless possibilities of NFTs and RTFKT’s vision well beyond the current reach of digital wearables.
Editor’s Note: This article was written by an nft now contributor in collaboration with OpenAI’s GPT-4.