From limited edition Nike Air Force to NFT, 'Sneakers Unboxed Seoul' […
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[M Block Letter] Hello, I'm Seungah of M Block Letter. Do you like sneakers? When clothes are too plain or monotonous, I often match the color converse that stands out. Not only does the atmosphere of the look look much brighter, but it also has the effect of making the atmosphere of the person look more cheerful. Therefore, shoes seem to have become the most important factor in fashion and a culture that stimulates the desire to collect, beyond just protecting the feet. It even creates a new market called Resell.
Thanks to this background, one of the most sincere places for NFTs is the sneakers brand. Nike acquired Artifacts (RTFKT), a fashion & sneakers NFT producer in 21, and Puma launched an NFT collection called "Super Puma" this year, suggesting NFTs as a new way to keep sneakers. At the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, I visited the exhibition called "Sneakers Unboxed Seoul" to display the history of sneakers as well as the first sneakers NFT of artifacts.
Before entering the exhibition, the first element that stands out is this blue sculpture. The object lying outside the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts is the virtual human "WADE." Wade is a virtual character created by IPX (formerly Line Friends) and world-renowned creative consultant Lee Kyu-jong (KB LEE). I have the concept of an artist who enjoys street culture, such as interested in fashion and likes skateboarding. Therefore, as a first step, he participated as a virtual artist at the Laika Camera Photo Exhibition and participated in GD's "Piece Minus One X Kwon Do" Shu Box unboxing, and last year, he published an NFT collection.
Wade became an anchor in "Sneakers Unboxed Seoul." Wade not only held an exhibition under the theme of "Dream in a Dream" with a colorful media façade in the evening, but was also in charge of docents throughout the exhibition. It does not explain all the sneakers, but it shows the background of the historically important sneakers, showing an aspect of being an exhibition ambassador. Personally, I was worried that the heterogeneous feeling of AI voice or AI voice familiar with YouTube shorts took over Wade's voice. It was an outstanding voice that let go of these worries at once.
"Sneakers Unboxed Seoul" was an exhibition where you can gather shoes released through various collaborations as well as the background of various brands such as Nike, Adidas, Reebok, and Puma, which come to mind when you think of sneakers, to gain a solid fan base. About 700 to 900 pairs of shoes are displayed with their origin, so I think shoe enthusiasts would have their eyes wide open. Therefore, even though it was a weekday morning, I was able to capture many people watching with passionate eyes.
RUN DMC's "My Adidas," which was the first to lead a collaboration with an artist other than an athlete in a sneakers brand, was able to be seen through videos and shoes. I lost track of time because I was not very interested in shoes because I could see all the exclusive collaboration products with editing shops in Harajuku, Japan, the sacred place of street fashion, and Air Force, a collaboration between Nike and GD Peace Minus One.
The only reason I came to the exhibition today is to see the first sneakers NFT of Artifact. The first virtual sneakers to combine real, augmented, and virtual reality, Artifact's 'cybersneakers' were visible on the display. Tesla's Cybertruck-inspired design was also the first to unveil a product synthesized in a photo of Elon Musk attending the 2018 Met Gala in New York. Since then, it has been issued as an official NFT in 2020.
Cyber sneakers are characterized by only one foot even though they are sneakers, and it was a refreshing experience to think about the definition of a collection when I saw NFT sneakers that maintain homeostasis in sneakers that have changed over time. Technology has advanced and home appliances for shoe enthusiasts have come out, but shoes lose their shape too soon to be a collection.
I've been covering several offline spaces for newsletters. I saw LG's sneakers NFTs "Monster Shoes" and Stephen, but this was the first time I saw the actual artifact. I didn't have much inspiration other than the fact that it was an NFT because I saw the Snickers NFT in the launch of a new product or in the same product line. There was something special about the sneakers NFT with the shoes in history. Through the storytelling that the current sneakers were born as a result of numerous studies such as ventilation, sustainability, and cushioning, I could guess a little why sneakers brands are making new attempts called NFTs. The fact that there were so many things to see besides NFT also played a part.
"Sneakers Unboxed Seoul" will be exhibited at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts until September 10. It's the most generous schedule of offline events that I've introduced in the MBL letter before, so if you're interested in sneakers, it'd be nice to drop by at least once.
