Nike is planning to sell virtual sneakers as it prepares to ride the metaverse wave

• Nike is planning to launch a digital collection of its sneakers, clothes and accessories.
• The company has filed trademark applications that suggest it’s working on virtual products.
• Nike is also hiring virtual designers for the company’s digital venture.

Nike has reportedly filed trademark applications that hint at the sportswear company venturing into virtual products. According to the trademark applications, Nike plans on selling digital sneakers, clothes and accessories that can be used in online virtual environments.

Nike has filed trademark applications for “Nike”, “Just Do It”, “Jordan”, “Air Jordan” as well as its swoosh and the jumpman logo, according to a report by Input Mag. There’s also one with a combination of Nike and the swoosh together. So a total of seven trademark applications were submitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. These trademarks are for its digital products that will be available on Nike’s own digital retail store. The sportswear company will offer online, non-downloadable virtual footwear, clothing, headwear, eyewear, bags, sports bags, backpacks, sports equipment, art, toys, and accessories.

The trademark applications could also be a way for Nike to prevent knockoffs of its products in the digital world, Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney at Gerben Intellectual Property told the Wall Street Journal. Whether or not Nike goes through with offering digital sneakers or clothes is still not confirmed.

But the company does have plans of entering the metaverse world with its digital offerings and it’s already hiring virtual material designers who will work towards redefining the company’s digital world and “ushering us into the metaverse.” The fashion industry already runs on limited editions that only a few people can own which is basically the core of NFTs (non-fungible tokens). NFTs would give people even more exclusivity as they’ll own possibly the only digital version of limited edition products.

Nike may be jumping on the NFT bandwagon now but this world is already filled with global names like Balenciaga and Gucci. Nike also won’t be the first to offer virtual sneakers as there’s already a brand called “RTFKT” that sells virtual sneakers priced up to $22,094.

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