Puma’s first metaverse experience ties NFTs to NYFW

Dive card:

• Puma debuted its first-ever metaverse experience, Black Station, which features NFTs that can be redeemed for limited-edition physical sneakers, according to a press release. The experience is part of the sports brand’s “Futrograde” show during New York Fashion Week (NYFW).
• Black Station includes a digital lobby space with three portals. The first two portals are available now and reveal the Nitro NFRNO and Nitro Fastroid sneakers that are tied to the brand’s recent NFT Nitropass coin. Consumers who have minted a Nitropass can receive two NFTs, one linked to physical products and one to a customized experience. After the Futrograde show, coiners can burn their product-raised NFT and claim physical sneakers.
• The third portal serves as the entry point to the digital NYFW metaverse fashion show where visitors can view a digital adaptation of the show and interact with the collection’s pieces. The experience talks about how brands connect personal events with digital via the new metaverse.

Diving Insights:

Puma is the latest fashion brand to embrace the metaverse and related technologies. The Black Station experience connects digital design to physical products via an NFT, showcasing a way brands can use technology to engage with consumers and enrich their experiences, as has been done by the likes of Prada and American Eagle. The name revives a brand concept that revolved around high-end fashion.

“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 heritage and innovation,” said Adam Petrick, Puma’s Chief Brand Officer , in the press release.

In addition to adding real value to Puma’s recent NFT release, the Black Station allows the brand to extend the reach of NYFW beyond the physical location. The metaverse allows a bridge between physical and digital spaces and has quickly become a popular way for marketers to activate around major cultural events like NYFW. Similarly, brands including Tommy Hilfiger and DKNY participated in Metaverse Fashion Week in March.

Black Station was designed by creative venture firm FTR and is built with Unreal Engine 5. Created by developer Epic Games, Unreal is a 3D creation tool used across gaming, film, architecture, fashion, automotive, music and live- events. like Fortnite. The engine has been a popular technology for brands activating in the metaverse, and is at the heart of a collaboration between Epic Games and WPP.

The metaverse is expected to be worth $5 trillion by 2030, according to a McKinsey report, making it the crowning glory of the past year for marketers of all stripes, but especially those in retail and fashion. In May, Gap launched a virtual, purchase-free experience in Club Roblox, while Gucci opened a persistent digital space on the platform. Such experiences seek to engage the younger consumers who have popularized such digital platforms, but who are more difficult to reach through traditional advertising channels.