Byredo and RTFKT Are Working on NFT Perfumes

RTFKT is transitioning from sneakers to fragrances.

Nike-owned RTFKT Studios recently announced an NFT collaboration with Swedish fragrance company Byredo. According to the most recent information, these two brands are working on "future perfume in Web3."

The names of the two brands appear beneath a puddle of clear liquid in RTFKT's 21-second commercial. The provided link to "alphameta.rtfkt.com" takes visitors to a page with the same perfume pool as well as links to RTFKT's social media.

RTFKT suggested in a recent Vogue Business article that its new "Web3 perfume" will use a combination of NFT and "near-field communication" (NFC) technology to bring scents from the metaverse into real life.

When customers design an NFT fragrance, it appears that it will link with NFC codes to replicate the selected ingredients in a physical product.

Byredo and RTFKT are creating virtual representations of distinct scents in addition to connecting with IRL perfumes. According to recent reports, the art studio M/M is collaborating with RTFKT and Byredo on 26 "ingredients," each of which is associated with a distinct "emotion."

Anyone who owns one of RTFKT's Clone-X NFTs may also receive a "scent" (also known as a "Clone Aura") airdropped in their wallet.

RTFKT co-founder Benoit Pagotto compared creating these new "NFT perfumes" to making "potions in video games." Pagotto also stated that Byredo is the "ideal partner" for its NFT perfume creator and that the project is one of his "favorite" upcoming projects.

RTFKT has only stated that more information about its NFT perfumes will be made available "soon." More information, according to the Vogue Business report, will be released in July.

RTFKT Keeps Experimenting with Web3

RTFKT Studios, along with Yuga Labs, is arguably the largest company in the NFT space. Of course, this brand's partnership with Nike contributed significantly to its big-cap status. RTFKT, on the other hand, has built a reputation for producing some of the most innovative PFP and wearable NFTs.

Nike and RTFKT, for example, released the highly successful "CryptoKicks" sneaker NFTs earlier this year. Based on Nike Dunks, these "CryptoKicks" can evolve, breed, and change style based on the "Skin Vial" NFTs holders use.

RTFKT's Clone X series is also one of the most sought-after PFP NFT collections. RTFKT recently revealed an augmented reality experience in New York and Los Angeles museums to further immerse its Clone X ecosystem.

Given RTFKT's track record of success in various Web3 projects, its "Web3 scent" is bound to be unique.

Collectors will be able to create custom scents by combining digital ingredients that can then be forged (meaning physically produced), similar to the co-branded Nike and Rtfkt Cryptokicks sneakers. People can use NFTs to "mix together, like an alchemist, like potions in video games," according to Rtfkt cofounder Benoit Pagotto. The physical bottles will then be manufactured, individually numbered, and labeled with an NFC tag that connects to the NFT, similar to the upcoming Cryptokicks sneakers. With the promise of allowing people to twin with their avatars, phygital NFTs have become a new hot topic among brands and tech startups.

"I liked the idea of dissecting it down to raw materials," says Ben Gorham, founder and creative director of Byredo. "Because a single scent cannot adequately represent this virtual world, we created a lexicon of elements that collectors can mix and match to create something entirely unique."

Byredo, which Puig purchased in May, is known for its cult-favorite perfumes such as Gypsy Water, as well as leather accessories and makeup (still a small part of the business).

"We always wanted to make a perfume but needed to do it differently, and Byredo was always our dream partner to make this vision a reality," Pagotto explained. "It's one of my favorite projects we're working on right now, an idea I've had for a long time, and Byredo is the ideal partner for it."