Nike Launches ‘.SWOOSH’ Community Where You Can Buy & Sell Digital Clothing

Having seen success with its acquisition of digital design studio Rtfkt, Nike is introducing its standalone Web3 platform to house its virtual creations and digital community. 

.SWOOSH, as it is called, has its own domain (welcome.swoosh.nike) to ensure a “safe, trusted space,” in which Nike Members can learn about and collect interactive digital objects, including sneakers or apparel, that can then be worn in digital games and experiences.

According to the brand, community members will gain special access to physical products or real-life events through the sites, such as “intimate conversations with athletes or designers.” 

The sportswear giant plans to release its first digital collection, inspired by the platform’s users, in the coming year. After the launch, members will get a chance to enter a challenge, with the winner awarded an opportunity to co-create virtual products with Nike. 

This will no doubt be a pull for digital artists and non-fungible token (NFT) creators to join the network, considering the company confirmed that winners would earn a royalty from the digital tokens they help to create.

Overall, Nike hopes its venture into the virtual sphere will serve to expand the definition of sport, and at the same time, democratize the Web3 experience so that “everyone can collect, create, and own a piece of this new digital world.” 

Those looking to sign up for .SWOOSH can do so later this month, when registration opens for the platform’s beta. Throughout the remainder of the year, the firm plans on growing the platform by recruiting users “as diverse and equitable as possible.” 

“We are shaping a marketplace of the future with an accessible platform for the Web3-curious. In this new space, the .SWOOSH community and Nike can create, share, and benefit together,” concludes Ron Faris, General Manager of Nike Virtual Studios. 

[via Vogue Business and Nike, images via Nike]