Digital Fashion Pioneers: RTFKT’s Lasting Impact on Culture

BY nft now Staff

December 12, 2023

To conclude the Gateway Miami event, co-founders Zaptio and Chris Le of RTFKT sat down with Alejandro Navia, President of nft now, for a discussion centered around the theme of culture creation.

Navia emphasized how RTFKT had made a significant impact, not only within the Web3 community but also in the mainstream sneaker community. He specifically highlighted the success of the Dunks, a realization of one of their longstanding dreams to infuse gaming aesthetics into footwear.

Le says Zaptio’s introduction to the project through Benoit played a pivotal role in making this dream a reality, even though the journey to create the Dunks proved to be quite challenging.

“Dunks were one of our biggest dreams come true into fruition,” Le said. “We always wanted to capture the gaming aesthetic in sneakers. They’re very hard to produce.”

Le elaborated on their design process, mentioning their recent collaboration with Nike. Their inaugural project with Nike focused on sneakers, and Le referred to a viral video featuring his hand holding a swoosh, showcasing the ability of a physical sneaker to change the skin. This interactive concept successfully engaged their audience and paved the way for innovative ideas, including the use of “vials” to digitally alter the sneakers.

The conversation further delved into their creative influences, drawing inspiration from sources like Gundam and Cyberpunk, which they ingeniously incorporated into the design of the Dunks.

“There was never a sneaker created for gamers,” Zaptio said. “And that’s what we wanted to do.”

Navia asks about them bringing digital fashion to the forefront of Web3.

“We wanted to foster a community that was all creatives,” Le said. “We wanted the artist to be the star. Because they were always represented.”

They also underlined the profound significance of owning digital items and the growing accessibility of 3D printing technology. Le says in a few years, everyone will have a 3D printer in their house.

As the conversation concluded, Zaptio articulated their visionary stance.



“Everything we’ve done, we’ve always known digital would play a huge role. We didn’t found ourselves as an NFT brand. Our vision was always to redefine physical identity online and in the real world.”

Zaptio

In the grand tapestry of the digital realm, the future has only just begun, with innovative visionaries like RTFKT poised to continue reshaping the boundaries of creativity and identity.

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