Singaporean artist SBTG has launched his first-ever NFT featuring a recreation of the Nike SB Dunk Low sneakers. The artist’s take on the sneakers is now up for auction on Binance’s new NFT marketplace.
The NFT features a video of the first unreleased prototype of the iconic sneaker. Leather design and production studio Secondnatvre had handcrafted the sneakers in the Sabotage Studios in Singapore.
Significance of Nike’s SB Dunk Low
Mark Ong is a sneaker artist and shoe customizer that goes by the artist name SBTG or Sabotage. He is known for transforming iconic models by hand-painting military-inspired graphics and patterns.
“Works of art in their own right, his (Mark Ong’s) shoes became highly sought after and by the time Nike SB kicked into high gear, his reputation was already solidified,” Nike wrote on its website.
“Nike SB has always looked for artists who were willing to take the Dunk to new and interesting places,” the company added. “Mark’s resume spoke for itself and Nike SB was happy to let him give the Dunk his SBTG touch.”
Thus, the Sabotage Dunk Low SB was released in August 2006. The artist reimagined Nike’s classic skateboarding shoe with “Sable Green coloring and a metallic gold swoosh.” In addition, Sabotage’s signature is embroidered in red at the vamp. Moreover, he also added a fold-over lace flap featuring a pirate and crossbones.
The launch was significant as Nike collaborated with a Southeast Asian artist for the first time. After launching in all major cities, the sneakers were sold out immediately. According to Binance, American rapper Travis Scott even tracked down the sneakers and wore them this year.
The NFT will be up on the Binance marketplace for auction for seven days. At the time of writing, the highest bid was for 10 BNB, Binance’s cryptocoin. The collector who wins the auction will also receive the physical prototype of size US 9.5 along with the NFT.
The Binance NFT Marketplace went live with a grand launch on June 24. The platform launched with an auction titled ‘Genesis’ and featured artworks of legendary artists like Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali. The crypto exchange hopes to build the largest NFT trading platform in the globe.
The rise of sneaker NFT projects
NFTs have made their way into every aspect of pop culture, including sneakers. Today, Brands and individuals alike are cashing in on digital sneaker NFTs. For instance, design studio Rtfkt sold a collection of sneaker NFTs for a whopping $3.1 million in under seven minutes in March 2021.
And it’s not just brands and artists. There are even NFT platforms like CryptoKickers that are meant for sneaker fanatics. The platform allows users to design digital sneakers, mint the NFTs, and then sell or trade them.
Even if collectors can’t flaunt these sneaker NFTs in the real world, they sure are appealing to the sneaker-collecting mass market!
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