PUMA jumps into Web3 with Metaverse Experience featuring exclusive NFTs

Quick take:

• The Metaverse website experience, called Black Station, connects consumers with PUMA’s various activations.
• Those who stamp a Nitropass will receive an NFT linked to physical products.
• Minters can claim their physical sneakers by burning their product-raised NFT.

Sportswear company PUMA today announced the unveiling of its first ever metaverse website experience called Black Station. It features exclusive limited-edition physical sneaker redeemable NFTs as part of the “Futrograde” show during New York Fashion Week (NYFW).

PUMA Black Station is created as an immersive and interactive portal for consumers to experience the future of the brand. Its blank and evolving canvas will also become a dynamic destination connecting consumers with PUMA’s various Web3 activations emerging over the next year and beyond.

At the metaverse website, visitors will enter a hyper-realistic digital lobby area with three separate portals. The first two portals, available from September 7th, will reveal exclusive never-before-seen Nitro NFRNO and Nitro Fastroid sneakers tied to PUMA’s recent Nitropass NFT coin. The sneakers debuted at NYFW.

Fastroid features a performance tech silhouette to the max with exaggerated volumes of Nitro foam in gradient, bold hues. With “sport is art” as its leading ambition, NFRNO appears as a hybrid collision of past and future, drawing inspiration from obscure archival styles to arrive at a multi-part cast construction.

“20 years ago, Black Station was PUMA’s home for our most innovative designs in fashion,” said Adam Petrick, PUMA’s Chief Brand Officer. “Given the boundaries we’re pushing from a product design and digital standpoint, we saw fit to bring back Black Station as a new portal for digital exploration across fashion, sports performance, our classic traditions and innovation.”

Nitropass NFT holders can receive two NFTs – one tied to physical products and one that unlocks a customized experience tied to their chosen shoe. After the Futrograde show, Nitropass coins can claim their physical sneakers by burning their product-raised NFT. This is the first PUMA-owned NFT to connect digital design with real physical products for consumers.

“Our team of designers took a lot of liberties when envisioning these footwear styles. We told them the sky’s the limit. As a result, we were able to harness their creativity without the typical restrictions and limitations of our shoe manufacturing process,” said Heiko Desens, Global Creative Director and Head of Innovation “What’s as impressive as the actual designs is the fact that we were actually able to work in development to bring these amazing designs to life.”

Developed by creative venture company FTR, the Black Station metaverse is built with Unreal Engine 5 to produce cutting-edge graphics.

Visitors can participate in PUMA’s Black Station experience at blackstation.puma.com. A limited number of NFTs and then exclusive sneakers can be redeemed.

PUMA first prepared for its entrance into the metaverse in January with new trademark applications. In August, the sportswear brand extended its multi-year partnership with Manchester City to launch a metaverse kit on Roblox.

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