adidas X Crazyfast Bugatti Breaks Ground By Being First Boot Launched On Web3

Times they are a-changing, and never has this been more apparent than in the rise of Web3 and the metaverse. We recently spoke with Mario Gotze about football’s digital future – a man who has dived deep into the subject – and now, on the back of that, we get the world’s first Web3 boot launch, courtesy of the uber-exclusive adidas x Bugatti team up. The two partnered for the new adidas X Crazyfast Bugatti boots, which are engineered for speed and lightness and finished with a number of bespoke Bugatti design flourishes.

Just 99 pairs have been produced, and they are now being auctioned off and paired with a “digital twin” NFT version that can potentially be worn in the metaverse. It’s a trend that’s often referred to as "phygitals," and it involves brands offering limited physical products paired with digital assets. Adidas are positioning themselves at the forefront of this space, ready to leverage its capability going forward, and propelling football boots into the world for the first time.

Essentially, it comes down to ensuring that adidas and Bugatti enthusiasts globally have equal opportunity to acquire one of the 99 pairs of the adidas Crazyfast Bugatti, and to do that they are being auctioned through the adidas Collect Web 3 platform. The auction will run from 8-11 November, and afterwards all winners receive an exclusive digital shoebox which can be redeemed, from 13 November onwards, via adidas Collect for the complementary physical pair and digital twin. Although conducted using cryptocurrency, users have a direct on-ramp from traditional currency in the auction using MoonPay. The drop presents a unique chance to own a piece of football boot history as only 99 Access Passes (linked to 99 corresponding pairs of physical boots) will ever become available.

Wiebke Ståhl, Managing Director at Bugatti international, said: “Bugatti is a brand renowned for its innovations and engineering ingenuity. Always inspired by the vision of it creates incomparable automotive masterpieces. We share this relentless drive for perfection with adidas, who apply the same rigorous approach to their boots, with ever lighter and more effective designs. And in this collaboration, we celebrate this shared pioneering spirit in an authentic way, right down to the innovative method of releasing it to enthusiasts of both our brands.”

Adidas has been progressively venturing into the world of NFTs and digital currencies, but the X Crazyfast Bugatti launch represents a first in football. The Three Stripes previously collaborated with Ready Player Me to launch the Ozworld Collection, which featured the first personality-based AI-generated avatar creation platform, while in August of this year, adidas Originals used a similar Web3 based auction format as that being used for the X Crazyfast Bugatti to sell a limited-edition sneaker collaboration with BAPE. Like the 99 pairs of boots, the 100 adidas Triple-White Forum 84 BAPE Low shoes also came with digital twins.

The adidas-Bugatti collaboration aligns with a recent trend in the fashion and tech industries. Referred to as "phygitals," it involves major brands offering limited physical products paired with digital assets. It’s yet another example of how brands are recognising the vast potential that this overlap between the digital and physical world holds for engaging with consumers in new and exciting ways.

“The shoebox has an NFT chip inside, and this chip is linked to a unique identifier of the shoe, which is linked to a digital twin of the shoe," explained Vlad, Global Head of Product - web3 & adidas CONFIRMED. "This can be used to validate the authenticity and prove the ownership and see the trades of this exclusive digital collectible.

The digital twin itself will serve as en exclusive digital collectible and is memorabilia of this exclusive drop. It can be traded in marketplaces and has a role to play in the future.”

Head to collect.adidas.com/bugatti to place your bid. Good luck!