Adidas Sees Virtual Items As Its Next Big Product Category The German brand revealed its first collection of NFT wearables for virtual spaces just days after Nike announced the debut of its web3 platform. What？ and How？ Virtual products are shaping up to be the next battle in the war between Nike and Adidas. Just days after Nike announced the debut of a web3 platform where users will be able to buy and sell items like NFT sneakers and jerseys, Adidas has revealed its first collection of digital NFT wearables. The 16-piece set of “virtual gear” includes hoodies and outerwear that Adidas says owners will be able to use in different online environments, like on avatars in virtual worlds or as profile pictures. Adidas had previously released a collection of 30,000 non-wearable Into the Metaverse NFTs at the end of 2021, but the company said the launch Wednesday represents a new milestone. “It’s an official business area now,” said Erika Wykes-Sneyd, vice president of Adidas Three Stripes Studios, an in-house incubator and think tank for web3, metaverse and virtual member experiences. She likened the move into virtual gear to Adidas branching from footwear into apparel and then introducing Adidas Originals, calling the new digital items “the future archive for what comes next.”