SMART SNEAKERS: A purchaser can authenticate provenance with a tap of their smartphone
Renault is releasing a collection of individually numbered limited edition sneakers fitted with an NFC chip that enables purchasers to link their purchase to a non-fungible token (NFT) that certifies their ownership and authenticates its provenance with a tap of their smartphone.
Each of the 960 pairs of sneakers in Renault’s Racing Shoe5 range comes with a digital twin — also in the form of an NFT — and will be manufactured and delivered in physical form only after a customer’s avatar has purchased the NFT version from the vehicle manufacturer’s virtual 3D online store.
The collection incorporates six custom-made models inspired by its R5 Turbo sports hatchback.
“The shoe’s rear inclination represents the chassis of the car, the inside was inspired by the upholstery, and the laces are a nod to the seat belts,” Renault says.
“Each physical pair of one-of-a-kind individually-numbered sneakers will be manufactured once their NFT version has been purchased.
“Scanning the chip gives access to a shoe’s certificate of authenticity in NFT form. It contains the shoe’s key information: composition, materials, manufacturing traceability. This data is written on a blockchain.”
Renault says it will release the NFT versions of the sneakers later this month.
Renault uses NFC to let purchasers authenticate physical versions of digital sneakers was written by Tom Phillips and published by NFCW.