DeVonta Smith Sneaker Line: The Eagles’ first collection includes an NFT

Eagles wide receiver and college football phenom DeVonta Smith is getting his first line of sneakers — and you can get a chance to meet him, as long as you buy an NFT.

The record-setting wide receiver and Heisman winner teams up with Web3 footwear brand Endstate on a limited-edition IRL and digital sneaker. What to expect: a trio of flex-only kicks in colorways inspired by Smith’s style, plus an NFT that you can consider proof of authenticity.

In a move that certainly doesn’t sound like Fyre Fest founder Billy McFarland’s failed attempt at a social club, sneaker and NFT owners also have the chance to score extra perks: free cheesesteaks, trading cards, a luxury watch and a meet-and- salute with the two-season Eagles player.

“I take fashion very seriously — I’ve been wearing suits since I came to Alabama for game days,” Smith told Billy Penn via email, calling the collaboration “an opportunity I had to jump at.”

The wide receiver is known as “Sticky Hands” for his ability to catch (and keep) the ball, which serves as inspiration for the sneaker design: Hexagonal detailing on the toe box mimics honeycomb, and drips along the ankle are double meanings, referencing both honey and Smith’s appearance off the pitch.

Each pair costs $250 – NFT included – and will be available starting today while supplies last. They come in three different colors: Kelly green (because birds), gold (because sticky honey), and pink and blue, because those are Smith’s favorite colors (as anyone who’s seen his pre-game passes can guess).

Co-founded by Bennett Collen and former Nike and Adidas sneaker designer Stephanie Howard in 2021, Endstate applies blockchain technology to streetwear culture.

For the uninitiated, this means the Boston-based startup makes sneakers with a corresponding non-fungible token that “shows you exactly which pair in the collection you have on your feet,” according to David Filar, director of product and design. Apparently, this is a huge boon for sneaker snobs and retailers because it can increase the value of your favorite pair.

In this case, Endstate’s NFT is a virtual monument to Smith holding his line of sneakers, with banners updated in real time reflecting his performance throughout the season.

“DeVonta is on the rise in his career … He has the best hands of any receiver, maybe ever in football,” Endstate founder and “lifelong sneakerhead” Collen said of the collaboration. “He’s also not afraid to buck the status quo and do his own thing, so that made him the perfect first Endstate athlete.”

Sneaker holders can also wear the shoes virtually. Each version has a QR code that allows them to be worn in a custom Snapchat filter, which is both more and less cool than it sounds. As we slowly move towards a Metaverse future, digital clothing brands like DressX create lines of ready-to-wear exclusively for Mark Zuckerberg’s hellscape, Instagram photos or TikTok videos.

Still, digital sneakers aren’t like the real thing: You can’t walk (or click) from one platform to another and keep Smith’s sneakers on.

“It’s not as simple as saying, ‘Oh, here’s this digital object. You can wear it everywhere,’” Collen explained. “There is a lot of work that needs to go into the background to build out integrations for each environment.”

On top of sneakers and an (intricate? vaguely useful? cool?) NFT, anyone who owns the shoe will also have access to a number of perks — most of which hinge on Smith becoming a soccer superhero:

• For his first touchdown, plus every 41-yard reception thereafter (up to 1 per game), owners will get Airdropped a gift card for a free cheesesteak made in a ghost kitchen
• If Smith reaches 1,000+ receiving yards this season, owners will receive a free trading card
• If Smith is this season’s MVP, owners will be sent a free luxury watch, branded TBD.

In addition, sneaker owners will be invited to two in-person events, no additional purchase required:

• An Eagles watch party at a sports bar near the Linc for a game later this season
• A meet-and-greet slash party with Smith himself at an undisclosed high-end sneaker store in Philly later this year.

Admittedly, the world of blockchain and cryptocurrency is full of volatile value fluctuations, has similarities to gambling, and presents an omnipresent chance that you could lose everything. In Philly, Web3 technology has struggled to land: The city abandoned a municipal cryptocurrency in 2021, and some city residents are skeptical about how residential cryptominers could affect neighborhoods.

For Smith, his work on this project is about educating the general public about new technologies that have the power to generate wealth for marginalized communities.

“New technology is always being introduced and to not try to embrace it and use it for [my] advantage would put me at a disadvantage, Smith said. “Growing up in a small town in Louisiana, NFTs aren’t always talked about at home, so this was completely new to me coming out of Alabama.”