Chalhoub Group unveils web3-native, community-centric sneaker brand SOL3MATES

Luxury retailer Chalhoub Group has launched its web3-native, community-centric sneaker brand SOL3MATES. Designed to reshape the industry SOL3MATES aims to produce limited-edition sneakers to guarantee exclusivity while simultaneously avoiding waste, and pushes the boundaries of innovation, creativity and storytelling, while empowering global sneaker designers to positively disrupt the current sneaker industry.

SOL3MATES aims to create an immersive and engaging experience by involving its community members in all aspects of their sneaker journey, from onboarding new designers to the co-creation of upcoming sneaker drops. Customers will be able to buy a membership NFT (SOL3MATES OG NFT) to join the community and experience exclusive membership benefits including early access, preferred pricing, virtual wearables, free merchandise, community events but also access to monthly sneaker giveaways, hype sneakers at retail and surprise perks at event and retail partners.

“SOL3MATES will be to the sneaker industry what the lace is to the shoe: the element that ties it all, that brings the physical and the digital together and that links the sneaker community with the web3 community in an original way,” said Michael Chalhoub, President of Strategy, Growth, Innovation and Investment and Joint Ventures at Chalhoub Group.

All of SOL3MATES’ sneaker collections will be designed in collaboration with upcoming sneaker designers across the globe functioning as the creative directors of their collections. SOL3MATES’ first sneaker collection will be revealed on April 12, and is designed by up-and-coming French designer KACIMI LATAMENE known globally for his viral sneaker concepts.

SOL3MATES sneakers will be available for pre-order in limited quantities and community members owning an NFT will have pre-access to the sneakers at a preferred price. The public will be able to pre- order after the community pre-order window closes, if any sneakers are remaining. The SOL3MATES sneakers will be delivered for free to community members worldwide one month before the public and they will also feature NFC-authentication, AR-augmentation and a virtual counterpart, wearable in Decentraland.

“Since we sold out our Christofle NFT collection in 5 minutes, we started thinking what we could launch that could generate an even bigger impact. SOL3MATES aims to be the small snowball that creates an avalanche of positive disruption in the sneaker industry, together with its community and the designers we’ll collaborate with,” added Nick Vinckier, Head of Corporate Innovation and Founder of SOL3MATES.