“We’re big believers in NFC technology being implemented on a mass scale because of the different utilities that can be unlocked through that. So, we’re really excited to get this out and start displaying our vision of what’s possible using this technology.”
Steven Vasilev, also known as Zaptio, is a builder in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space who has gained notoriety for his work on RTFKT, a digital fashion and collectible company. RTFKT creates one-of-a-kind shoes and digital artifacts by combining the newest game engines, nonfungible tokens, blockchain authentication and augmented reality with manufacturing know-how.
Vasilev graduated with a bachelor’s degree from England’s University of York. Led by his passion for technology, the crypto world and shoes, he founded RTFKT in 2020 with Chris Le and Benoit Pagotto. Nike acquired RTFKT in 2021. Around the acquisition, Nike noted its intentions to expand RTFKT, pointing toward the investment as a way to help pursue Nike’s desire to further its involvement in the digital world. Vasilev now serves as Nike’s senior director of digital and physical products and the CEO of RTFKT.
Vasilev has a respectable audience on Twitter. A self-proclaimed digital alchemist, Vasilev’s interest in sneakers is evident through his tweet history. The Twitter account for RTFKT has over 350,000 followers, boasting the company as a metaverse-focused provider of collectibles, avatars and shoes. RTFKT touts numerous collections on its website, including the sneaker NFT collection Space Drip Forging and Clone X for metaverse avatars.
In 2022, Vasilev tweeted various content to his followers, posting about RTFKT, shoes, NFTs and more. Cointelegraph interviewed Vasilev during the year, hearing about the innovator’s progress with Nike on the potential of near-field communication (NFC) technology and NFTs for improved immutability and ease of authentication.
Late in the year, Nike and RTFKT released a limited shoe collection called Cryptokicks iRL. The shoes featured a number of selling points, including advanced lace technology and the ability to forge sneakers in real life — meaning redeeming and receiving a real pair of the shoes represented by the pair’s related NFT. In 2022, Vasilev also found his way onto one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 nominations for 2023.
Vasilev will likely continue his efforts both at Nike and pushing the limits in the sneaker world, intersecting the worlds of technology and collectibles. Based on his comments about NFC, he may look toward different ways of applying the technology.
In January, he tweeted about forthcoming 2023 plans for RTFKT, noting the outfit’s aim toward legacy and culture. In the second half of January, RTFKT laid out on Twitter a few tidbits it aims to achieve and pursue throughout 2023. Among its expectations for the year, the company noted an upcoming project called Animus, new partnerships, its aim of blending the digital and physical realms further, and more. The company also detailed plans for continued endeavors with its partners and Nike.
