Mizuno, one of Japan’s leading sportswear brands, just launched its first non-fungible token (NFT) collection on OpenSea. The limited-edition Ethereum-based NFTs featuring digital artwork and real-life footwear will be auctioned during the month of March.
Mizuno’s NFT collection contains a total of 19 NFTs divided into three categories related to the sports Mizuko specializes in — judo, running, and soccer (football).
Here’s what we know so far about the three categories of NFTs from Mizuko:
- Mizuno Judo All Japan. Consists of three NFTs with artwork created by the digital artist Ryokke Draw, who has worked with brands like ESPN on martial arts-themed digital art in the past. The art features representations of Japanese judo practitioners, including men’s champions Hifumi Abe, Naohisa Takafuji, and the women’s gold medalist from the Tokyo Olympics, Naori Hamada.
- Mizuno Wave Rebellion Pro. Based on Osaka Marathon’s rainbow theme, the NFTs consist of seven unique digital running shoes — one for each color of the rainbow. The digital NFT shoes can be redeemed for one-of-a-kind physical shoes.
- Mizuno Alpha. Consists of 3 three digital NFT soccer boots. They come in three colors that can be redeemed for the physical soccer boot.
Mizuno is one of the world’s biggest manufactures of the judo “gi.” Over the years, it has provided sportswear for national judo teams from Japan, Brazil, France, and the USA. It’s move into Web3 is another sign that Japan and many of its most successful and innovative companies and brands are bullish on Web3.
The Mizuno NFT Collection auction runs from February 24th to April 1 on OpenSea — with the NFTs going to the highest bidders.
Sportswear Brands Invest Heavily in Web3
Mizuno isn’t the only sportswear brand we’ve seen release digital products on the blockchain. At Rarity Sniper, we’ve written dozes of articles about the world’s most popular sportwear brands launching NFT projects and investing resources in the space. Here are some of the top stories.
In November 2022, ASICS, another Japanese sportswear company, partnered with move-to-earn app STEPN to a launch a Solana-inspired shoe. Customers who purchased the shoe received token-gated experiences and other rewards. The shoe was available to purchasers everywhere in the world.
Next, about three months ago, Adidas released an NFT collection of digital wearables. The NFT wearable collection is the first interoperable product from the popular sportswear brand. This means the NFTs can be used on different profile picture (PFP) avatars across various metaverses.
Finally, Puma celebrated its 75th anniversary with a new PFP NFT collection dubbed “Super Puma.” The collection was influenced by the 1970’s comics Super PUMA, and features tokenized access to limited products, immersive experiences, and links to Puma’s iconic designs.
Web3 opens up a whole new range of possibilities for brands to connect with fans, and sportswear brands are taking advantage of it. We’ll have to wait until the end of the month to see if the Mizuno NFT collection auction is successful. If it is, we expect there will be more from Mizuno in the space.