CLONE X - X TAKASHI MURAKAMI

This blue chip NFT project is the result of the collaboration between RTFKT studios and Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. RTFKT Studios is no stranger to the NFT scene, partnering with Nike to drop the Nike CryptoKicks, a collection of customizable NFT sneakers. They also have other NFT collections like the RTFKT x Nike MNLTH collection and the upcoming RTFKT x BYREDO perfume series.

Murakami on the other hand has been gaining popularity as a sculptor and an artist since the 90s. He is the founder and president of Kaikai Kiki Co and the Biannual Art Fair Geisai, where he manages several young artists. Furthermore, he has collaborated with Kanye West, Louis Vuitton, and many others.

In this project, the artist has helped to design the eyes, mouth, helmet, and clothes. There are even 96 NFTs with the Murakami DNA within the collection.

The man, the myth, the legend: Takashi Murakami. Credit: RTFKT.

In early 2021, Takashi Murakami announced his plans to enter the world of NFTs, citing his fascination with blockchain technology and its potential to revolutionize the art world. He partnered with the digital art collective CLONE, known for their innovative approach to creating and distributing digital art, to produce the CLONE X TAKASHI MURAKAMI NFT collection.

The collection was released on March 25th, 2021, exclusively on the Nifty Gateway NFT marketplace. The initial drop included 24 unique NFTs, with prices ranging from $5000 to $50000.

The RTFKT team is building a metaverse and the CloneX NFTs are the first step towards the ultimate goal. Instead of the usual 10k projects in the NFT space, they have decided on 20k avatars to allow more people into the RTFKT ecosystem.

The team allocated 11,133 NFTs for the presale and 500 NFTs for the team. The remaining 41.8% (8367 NFTs) were open for the public sale. This project launched towards the end of 2021 as one of the most hyped NFT projects and has since exceeded everyone’s expectations.

Here’s the CloneX backstory:

“Hailing from the Planet of Orbitar, CloneX Corp has come to accelerate our evolution towards immaterial existence. They plan to transfer all human consciousness into advanced clone forms to create the ultimate universe. In this advanced civilization, humans are no longer residing in their organic forms but are instead represented by their unique CloneX avatars.”

Given that CloneX NFTs are the beginning of the larger RTFKT ecosystem, the future Metaverse will be built around this collection. The team is currently an industry leader in game engines, NFTs, blockchain authentication and augmented reality. Coupled with their huge network and manufacturing expertise, CloneX holders will see various utilities come to life as the ecosystem expands.

So far, all holders have received their CloneX Space Pods. This is essentially a space where holders can upgrade, customise, and simply hangout with other clones. Besides that, holders can also access the 3D vault to download 3D files of their clones. The files are available in various formats, ready for different metaverses in the space.

The company has set up an elaborate roadmap even before the CloneX launch. Aside from the Space Pods, the team is looking to drop various physical collectibles for all CloneX NFT holders. In addition, the wearable marketplace is currently under development as well. Holders will soon be able to customise their clones, get new wearables and drops, or even trade them with other clones.

In the near future, holders will gain access to exclusive events and in-person experiences. All in all, the journey is just starting and the destination seems pretty awesome. We’ll just have to wait patiently and see what the team has in store for the CloneX and RTFKT community.