Dior, a popular French fashion house, launches a new men’s footwear collection late Thursday that includes both a distinct, secured authentication supporting “digital twin” NFTs.
The B33 sneaker created by Kim Jones, artistic director of Dior Menswear, represents the brand’s Men’s Fall 2023 collection. Only 470 pairs of the first of the sneaker’s seven versions, which blends mohair with the luxury house’s distinctive Dior Oblique design, will be made available online on July 6.
Sneakers Alert.
Introducing ‘B33’ sneakers by Kim Jones, from the #DiorMenFall 2023 collection. Each pair is equipped with an encrypted key granting access to a secure platform and exclusive services. Sign up to be the first to shop them online from July 6.
— Dior (@Dior) June 29, 2023Each pair of shoes will have a connection to what Dior refers to as a “digital twin”—a related, identical NFT of the shoes created on the Ethereum blockchain. The price of each pair of shoes is estimated to be around $1,350.
Dior will soon offer six additional B33 models to go along with these special, NFT-compatible shoes. Those models will also include an NFC chip underneath the right foot’s sole.
The NFC chip will be linked to an encryption key that opens a personalized, secure web page that delivers digital certifications of originality for each shoe owner as well as additional specialized services that have not yet been made public, according to Dior. These pairs will cost between $1,000 and $1,100.
Considering that the parent company of the fashion business, LVMH’s newfound interest in Web3, Dior’s decision to integrate blockchain-backed components is not entirely unexpected.
However, Dior’s revelation stands out for its conspicuous absence of any term associated with blockchain technology. Dior has not yet used the terms “Web3” and “NFT,” which were prominently displayed in the marketing materials of prior LVMH-planned, blockchain-backed activations, in its marketing launch of the B33 shoe line.
Possibly not by coincidence. Even as household companies become more interested in (and adopt) blockchain-related capabilities, many people now prefer to steer clear of the stigma attached to terminologies like Web3, cryptocurrency, and the metaverse.
