On 7th September 2022, one of the world’s leading sports brands – Puma – announced the launch of “Black Station” during the New York Fashion Week. Black Station is Puma’s first interactive metaverse experience. According to the company’s press release, Black Station will become “a dynamic destination to visit”, where Puma customers will be able to connect in an immersive and interactive way to enjoy the brand’s NFTs, which are mainly related to sporting goods.
Puma’s Chief Brand Officer – Adam Petrick – said that twenty years ago, Black Station was PUMA’s home”. Black Station allowed PUMA to showcase its most innovative designs. This is why the global fashion brand has revived the website to celebrate its commitment to innovation.
From the moment users enter the website, they can choose a hyper-realistic digital lobby with three distinct portals to experience exclusive, unique sneakers that have never been seen before. Users can also mint NitroPass passes to receive NFTs linked to physical products that can be claimed when the Futrograde fair in New York is over.
Puma’s Global Creative Director and Head of Innovation – Heiko Desens – noted that because of the advantages offered by the metaverse, Puma’s team of designers could work without limitations to create original designs that are as impressive as the actual products.
Despite the advanced level of technological innovation that the metaverse offers, it should be noted that on a monetary level, Nike, which is one of Puma’s main competitors, has made close to $184 million thanks to its NFT products. This is a clear invitation to a market that is just beginning. The metaverse is open to all companies that want to go beyond the real world. Even giant automotive brands, such as Ford Motors, have announced the registration of patents to enter into the metaverse.
According to Dune Analytics’ data, Nike leads the table of companies that have made the most money from the sale of NFTs, followed by Dolce & Gabbana, which has sold about $23.67 million worth of NFTs. Adidas, one of the first to step into the metaverse, has barely managed to sell $10 million worth of NFTs due to the problems that occurred during the launch of its collection.
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