Non-fungible token (NFT) company Legitimate has teamed up with footwear giant PUMA and entertainment agency Roc Nation to release a sneaker collection.
Dubbed “Evolution of the Mixtape,” the collection pays tribute to hip-hop’s 50th anniversary and gives buyers access to exclusive music content curated by Roc Nation.
The three sneaker models, called ‘Cassette Tape’, ‘Playlist’ and ‘Disc’, are embedded with an ‘LGT tag’, Legitimate’s NFC (Near Field Communication) chip in the tongue of the shoe. Owners can scan the NFC chip with their phone to receive an NFT that grants access to a digital portal featuring weekly mixtapes, behind-the-scenes artist content, and unreleased songs from Roc Nation artists.
Calvin Chan, Founder and CEO of Legitimate told CoinDesk that the partnership with PUMA and Roc Nation not only tells the stories of a cultural movement, but also helps expand fans’ access to the music of their favorite artists.
“The vision here was to pay homage to and innovate on the concept of a mixtape that brings together talent and people, but also explore how mixtape and hip-hop culture has evolved and grown over time, especially with the addition of technology,” Chan said. “PUMA, Roc Nation and Legitimate are teaming up to innovate this concept of the mixtape itself by seamlessly connecting the dots between fashion, music and technology.”
Moreover, he added that using an NFC chip and rewarding buyers for their purchase with new music not only helps to keep them engaged, but also builds brand loyalty.
“’Phygital’ products enable brands to connect with their customers on a physical and digital level,” said Chan. “This ability and visibility is very important to brands and ultimately extremely valuable to consumers as they derive more value from their purchases and brand loyalty.”
While digital-native fashion helped define a vision for the metaverse, physically linked items can help ease the jump from Web2 to Web3. Last week, luxury men’s brand Dior released NFC chip-embedded sneakers that use the blockchain to prove ownership. In March, Web3 streetwear brand Cult and Rain released its second digital wearable collection featuring physical hoodies with NFC chips for garment provenance.
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