RTFKT IS BUILDING A NEW FUTURE

RTFKT Studios has certainly made a name for itself in the nascent space of the metaverse. As one of the leaders shaping the parameters of what’s possible, the Web3 fashion house is providing the tools and resources necessary for creators to find that “next level” of creativity. Launched in 2020 by founders Chris Le, Benoit Pagotto, and Steven “Zapito” Vasilev—all of various backgrounds in the tech space—the group is as mysterious as it is innovative, and in two years the triptych have redefined the boundaries of physical and digital value. Using game engines, augmented reality, blockchain authentication, and NFTs, RTFKT (pronounced

“artifact”) has released “next generation collectibles,” including the $3.1 million sale of 600 physical-virtual sneakers in collaboration with NFT artist Fewocious, as well as the Clonex NFT avatars project. Acquired by Nike in December 2021, RTFKT has helped accelerate its digital transformation beyond a mere “sneaker” company since, opening the doors to a truly customized sport x gaming x tech culture. From AR hoodies and digital sneakers to NFC chips and blockchain authentication, RTFKT is setting and resetting the standard for what it means to bring legacy fashion into the Web3 space.

“WE ARE MISFITS, NERDS, AND GO-GETTERS. WE ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO STAY AHEAD OF THESE CULTURES AND WORLDS BY FIGURING OUT HOW TO MERGE THEM TO CREATE SOMETHING NEW FOR THE BRAND.”

Can you spill the beans on your inception story, beyond the many surface-level conversations you may have had previously when asked that same question?

Benoit Pagotto: We started RTFKT to be the open-source blueprint of the brands of the future—made by creators and for creators. I met Chris and Zaptio while was at the e-sports team Fnatic, where we aligned our vision for a new type of brand with no legacy or business model to hold it back, in an era where gaming is the predominant culture.

Zaptio: It began with the creation of an Instagram account, where we created content using Chris’s 3-D skills.

Chris Le: I was designing skins for CS:GO [and] DOTA 2, which eventually led me to designing video game skin sneakers. When the Fnatic League of Legends (LOL) team got invited to the annual LOL World Championship, we decided to make the sneakers real, so that they could be worn during the finals. The rest was history.

How would you define Web3 as it pertains to what RTFKT represents?

BP: Web3 is the start of a truly digital, borderless, alternate, and weird version of the world powered by a totally transparent economy. Within these alternate reality narratives, we are all creating, sharing, and earning income and tokens.

Z: It is the natural evolution of the Internet and social media generation. We are the first generation to have this level of technology, allowing us to be more aware of how brands, societies, platforms, and economies work. We are big believers in open sourcing tools and opportunities to empower the community to create their own utilities and revenue opportunities.

CL: It is the true start to the sustainable future, where consumerism is placed online, giving our planet some breathing room. Humanity will begin to consume less in the physical world, while many habits of buying and collecting useless things will now be done in the metaverse.

How did Nike’s acquisition change RTFKT’s infrastructure in leveraging legacy fashion with virtual sneakers?

Z: It heavily solidified our vision of extending digital and physical collectibles through our inspiration and love for Nike’s sneakers.

BP: It also sent a clear message across the globe: Web3 is the future and everyone should be taking this seriously.

CL: It was inevitable that the world would head in this direction. Coming from the video game and skin industry, I noticed patterns of players showing that they attributed more value in digital assets.

Z: The cultural and collectible sneakers that Nike created changed the physical collectible industry and culture forever. The acquisition has allowed us to maintain a level of independence, where we are able to pursue our same vision.

What drives your conversations of true “disruption” and uniqueness that newcomers in this space should pay attention to?

CL: The Internet and gaming culture is part of our backbone. As three co-founders, we are misfits, nerds, and go-getters. We are always trying to stay ahead of these cultures and worlds by figuring out how to merge them to create something new for the brand. We leverage our expertise from video game mod culture and help empower the creator community to be more creative.

Z: RTFKT is more than a brand. We are building a new culture, and community is the backbone to our brand.

BP: We simply do what we feel is right, and what we love. There is no secret formula, as everything we do here is new to the NFT world, and you can never know what the true outcome will be. It’s what makes this exciting: You can really pioneer concepts, products, and ideas with the best team and best community.

What additional value-add is RTFKT currently working on with some of its other projects?

Z: Everything we do is through a step-by-step process. All of our projects stem from big overarching visions of the potential future we foresee. We are in a position to break traditional norms and be innovative.

BP: We’ve been curating key brand collaborations with some of our favorite brands and people that will extend RTFKT forging mechanics to create NFTs and physical collectibles, opening new wearable categories for clones and our avatar ecosystem.

Z: We have been recently working on creating the bridge between digital and physical products with the use of NFC technology mixed with NFTs. We have multiple drops setting the tone of how we see fashion evolving in this Web3 environment.

CL: In addition to these upcoming, innovative projects, we always go back and continue to build upon our old projects. They are all important IPs! Just like video game studios, we also go back and update and add new features to all our past drops and make sure everything connects together.

What would you consider to be a “reasonable boundary” in enabling legacy fashion to enter into the Web3 space, while simultaneously protecting native Web3 brands and artists that want to build without restriction?

CL: Be lenient with the creators! Creators are there to help build your brand, and it should feel like the brand and creator co-exist with one another. In other words, let them use the IP to create their own brands and products within the ecosystem. By learning to adapt, these legacy brands can help the creators build. You help them, they help you.

BP: As long as legacy fashion brands understand that from now on, it’s not only about them and their quarterly results—but about empowering your community for real—it will be beneficial to the overall ecosystem. There are no boundaries in the metaverse. The people and market will decide if you make it or not.

What do you feel is the biggest challenge RTFKT faces right now that it is currently working to overcome?

BP: The main challenge is keeping up with the scale of the business and hype we generate while keeping the team relatively small. RTFKT is a new type of brand, and Web3 is a whole new way to think of the alliance of creativity, community, and business. This requires us to maintain a team of very different types of talents from different industries and backgrounds—from gaming, hospitality, and collector services to the industry economist. It’s a challenge in itself to shape, assemble, and grow our team of misfits, but that’s also one of the best parts.

What do you feel the fashion industry is still lacking when it comes to the “virtual sneaker” market?

Z: Similarly to traditional sneakers and fashion, I think it comes down to the utility exchange. Brands that don’t embrace culture or evolving customer desires die down. With RTFKT, we are building based on our experiences in traditional sneaker and fashion backgrounds. However, we are reimagining the end-end process in a way that fits with our vision of the future.

CL: A lot of the other projects are just getting FOMO’d in seeing a lot of publicity around Web3. They don’t want to look outdated compared to everyone else, and they’re jumping in without thought and trying to get press coverage. These companies need to study and understand gaming culture, Internet culture, and really figure out how to innovate in the space differently. It’s very early; there’s room for a lot of cool ideas. For the longest time, the industry needed something new—from film, music, and fashion. Web3 is that new opportunity for all these industries to come in and really build something new together, and there’s a lot of time to build.

ANY AND ALL DIRECTIONS BREAKOUT STREET ARTIST—AND NIGERIA’S FIRST SKATER—OLAOLU SLAWN IS A GENIUS. AND A SCAMMER.

OLAOLU SLAWN

“I want to have a number one song on Billboard. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I’m going to find a way to do it. I want to make a play and have it performed on Broadway. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I’m going to do it. I’m going to have a best-selling book. [They’re] just random things I want to accomplish.”

You would be forgiven to believe that Virgil Abloh said those words, for the late visionary was known amongst his close friends and fans for following his creativity in any direction and inspiring millions to do the same. But in fact, they belong to Olaolu Slawn, a young Nigerian skater-turned-artist that carries the same creative spirit that the Louis Vuitton Men’s creative director once did, and whom Abloh furiously championed.

“Whatever I have around me or whatever I can reach with my hands is what I’ll use to create,” Slawn tells me. Improvisation is a familiar creative energy native to his country, from the Naija spirit used to capture the Nigerian Football Team to the complex musical fusion of the legendary Fela Kuti. His path has not been tied to music nor football but rather skateboarding—a sport that has consistently shown to be a gateway to many different industries—and, at the time of his coming of age, was largely frowned upon in Lagos and the country as a whole. There were no skate parks, skaters, nor culture for the young boy to look up to—a limitation that allowed Slawn to carve his own path in any odd direction he saw fit. A chance invitation by Jomi Marcus-Bello, who ran the city’s only skateshop, Wafflsncream, led Slawn to meet

Onyedi and Leo, forming the now emblematic skate crew and brand Motherlan. By 2021, his eye had attracted the attention of Abloh, Grace LaDoja, Angelo Baque, and a number of collaborative projects with Off-White, Awake NY, Supreme, and others.

Floating in between London and Lagos today, Slawn’s artistic style might first hark to the bold compositions of Keith Haring, but, upon further inspection, feels almost like a never-ending African pattern or rhythm you would hear in Fela’s seemingly infinite tracks. Despite his success in such a short span of time, the artist still boasts the excitement he had at age 16, when Slawn first picked up a skateboard. Speaking to me on the phone his voice fills with humor, curiosity, and a desire to accomplish any and everything. Virgil would be proud.

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR CHILDHOOD AND THE THINGS THAT SHAPED YOU.

I was born in Nigeria and lived there for 17 years. I grew up a Jehovah’s Witness, which made it very difficult to express myself. But I wasn’t looking to express myself anyway. I went to primary school, secondary school, and got into a lot of trouble. I grew up with two sisters and used to doodle a lot. Most of the time I was trying to make things, doing whatever I could put my hands on.

WAS THERE ANY TYPE OF MUSIC OR FASHION THAT SHIFTED YOUR PERCEPTION?

I was already on the Internet and Twitter from around the age of 13. That’s when Odd Future was the shit. At 16, I started skateboarding, which changed everything. My eyes were opened to a lot of things. You go from skateboarding to watching videos, then movies, then you want to direct films. Art was the one thing that people related to the most. I don’t think it was the art that people related to—more my character—but the art just comes with it.

HOW WAS THE SKATE SCENE IN LAGOS AND NIGERIA AS A WHOLE?

It’s so weird that if you Google “first skaters in Nigeria,” we come up. Insane for me. The scene is so huge now, but it just came from us fucking about. I worked in the first skate shop in Nigeria. We basically built it…me and my friend Jomi. He hired me at like 15 or 16 and made me creative director…imagine.

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT MOTHERLAN? HOW DO YOU SEPARATE IT BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR ART?

Motherlan was just meant to be a skate crew. Jomi’s kind of crazy, because he gave me the opportunity at 15 or 16 to help run a brand. [Laughs.] I would never trust any 16-year-old with my shit. One day we were at the shop and [my friend] Onyedi said, “I got a couple blank tees, you should make a design for it.” I made a logo, it just worked. We started getting attention from people outside the country: the Dime people, obviously Supreme came into the picture. At that point, we didn’t really know what we were doing.

VIRGIL ABLOH WAS ANOTHER COLLABORATOR. WHAT WAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM?

I became very close to him in a short amount of time. He was always so supportive. I don’t know how he did it, but he was always like, “Yeah bro, let’s do this.” He collected a lot of my art…a lot. He had no reason to do anything for me, but he did. He was that much of a cool guy, he was a mystery. He knew something that everyone else didn’t know.

IS THERE ANYTHING THAT HE TOLD YOU THAT OPENED YOUR EYES TO THINGS THAT YOU HADN’T SEEN BEFORE?

How do I explain this? He never budged to make a move. You go and ask these companies for shares and they’re like, “Yeah cool, we’ll get back to you…blah, blah, blah, blah.” He did it like this. Snaps. I’d send him a random idea, and he’d screenshot it, draw on it, and send it back immediately. I don’t know how he found the time.

YOU’RE BASED IN LONDON NOW, HOW OFTEN DO YOU GO BACK TO NIGERIA?

I go back and forth. Last time I was there was in April for Homecoming [festival]. Actually, Homecoming had a lot to do with me coming to the U.K. I was only supposed to be here for two weeks. It was supposed to be a visa, and I had no plans whatsoever. Grace [LaDoja] told me, “If you want to come stay, you can couchsurf.” I knew skaters, went to parties, and just lived day-by-day.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR APPROACH TO YOUR ART?

My starting point is improvisation. It’s always been a thing since my childhood. It is very hard to access things in Nigeria, so if I couldn’t buy an Odd Future tee I’d just draw the logo on a tee myself. Even if it wasn’t authentic, I’d still be reppin’. It just developed into my art. It repeats itself in every aspect of my life. Improvisation is everything for me.

YOU’VE DESCRIBED YOURSELF AS A “SCAM ARTIST.” CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT?

I say this to everyone: You’re breathing right now, right? Imagine if you could sell your breath. I’m not saying I’m scamming you, but I’m saying you might be scamming yourself. I’m always going to improvise and find the easiest and most efficient way to accomplish my idea in the best form of execution. So, I breathe, I make art. Coming and paying the amount that people pay for it now—obviously it is easier for me to say this because I’m the artist—but it’s kind of like a scam. I was invited to a show in Paris, but couldn’t go because of my visa. So I gave one of my friends clothes and a ski mask to go as me.

DO YOU DEDICATE MORE TIME TO ART NOWADAYS, OR IS SKATING STILL THE PRIORITY?

First is always ideas. It’s not art, it’s just ideas. I’ve written down a couple things that I want to accomplish in the next few years. I want to have a number one song on Billboard. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I’m going to find a way to do it. I want to make a play and have it performed on Broadway. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I’m going to do it. I’m going to have a best-selling book. [They’re] just random things I want to accomplish. Personally, I love failure. I love mistakes, I love seeing things fall apart and restructured. I could fall off today and enjoy the process of getting back.

ARE THERE ANY GOALS, MOTIVES, OR MESSAGES BEHIND YOUR ART? I’VE READ THAT YOU ALSO WANT TO MAKE HOUSES? One of these days I want to be an architect. I don’t want to learn how to do architecture…I should be writing this down, actually. I’ve always wanted to build weird houses, that’s the end goal for me. And if I can, I’d like to start a proper cult, like a religion. I want everyone to have this huge panic moment, where they’re like, “Oh fuck, he was just fucking with us.” I really want us to have a weird acid-eureka moment about my life.