Platinum recording artist Lil Durk and decentralized footwear company NXTG3NZ recently announced the public minting of their 7220 phygital sneaker NFT collection, which will be live on April 10 at 11:11 a.m. EST.
The collection will feature 11,111 pairs of custom-designed phygital sneakers by 0X-E on the Algorand blockchain on a first-come, first-serve basis. Buyers who purchase a 7220 token will get a pair of physical sneakers.
Token holders will receive the digital pair within 5-7 days after minting a 7220 NFT. Next, they will need to fill out a form with their shoe size and mailing address to receive the physical sneakers within three to five months.
The line’s first collection is named after the rapper’s #1 debut album, released earlier this year. He also has recently finished his U.S. tour, “The 7220 Tour,” with more dates coming up to support the album’s deluxe edition.
Combining fashion and tech
Lil Durk first announced his foray into the NFT space last week with his co-founded phygital sneaker line, NXTG3NZ, which stands for Next Generation Z, and 3 represents Web3.
The team behind NXTG3NZ comprises elite creatives in music and sports executives, like Satoshi Design and Nexus, who have been working together to build the line for two years.
The line aims to become a unique project, bridging the worlds of physical and digital fashion experiences to empower celebrities, athletes and influencers by creating their very own signature shoe lines.
“I’ve always loved fashion and now its technology, so it just made sense to combine them two. It’s a new wave and we’re leading with NXTG3NZ,” said Lil Durk.
Previously, Lil Durk walked the runway of Amiri’s spring/summer 2023 collection at Paris Fashion Week. His runway debut signified his love for fashion, receiving praise from fans and peers like Kendrick Lamar and Kodak Black, who attended the show.
NXTG3NZ chose a factory in Portugal that produces sneakers for high-end labels such as Balmain and Moncler to produce the physical pairs for 7220.
Algorand Chief Marketing Officer Jessica Tsai Chin shared Lil Durk’s excitement about the project. They aim to transform “the technology and cultural landscape through real-world value.”
“This is the moment for powerful businesses to be born out of fandom and access,” Tsai Chin said.
Before NXTG3NZ, multiple big sneaker brands stepped into Web3 and the sneaker pairing world. Brands like Nike and Balmain have announced their limited series of NFT-paired sneakers.
Nike partnered with a digital art design company, RTFKT, to produce the NFT Nike Air Force 1 sneaker. The sneakers, dubbed “Forge the Future” in a tweet by Nike, will be available on April 24.
Meanwhile, Balmain collaborated with Space Runners to produce their latest line of NFT-paired sneakers, inspired by the house’s Unicorn footwear line. With only 130 pairs available, the NFT sneakers cost between $1595 and $2095 and are purchaseable using ETH.
Chalhoub Group — the leading luxury retail operator in the Middle East since the 90s — also joined the race and recently dropped its own Web3 sneaker brand, SOL3MATES.
