Photography by Nia Simone
Nike Virtual Studios presents the .SWOOSH Sessions in SOMEWHERE D.C. (Photo: Nia Simone)
With the rise of blockchain and Web3 technology moving into consumer markets, Nike Virtual Studios seeks to apply these networks for future community engagement. .SWOOSH, Nike’s Web3-enabled platform, is currently undergoing its limited beta phases, but that hasn’t stopped its lead product team from inviting communities to connect with them as creative advocates.
The .SWOOSH Sessions is Nike’s approach to initializing dialogue between local communities by holding discussions in affiliated stores. Including local influences, the .SWOOSH Sessions actualizes the platform’s growing values and further advocates for community-building capabilities. As stated in its outreach flyer, “No pre-existing knowledge is necessary, just come with an open mind and bring your curiosity, allowing everyone to join the conversation.
Along First Street S.E., a long line awaits outside the cafe/clothing store SOMEWHERE, a known neighborhood space in Southeast DC. Painters, recording artists, sneakerheads, NFT collectors, and known cultural architects populated these lines, fulfilling a diverse crowd of DMV creatives. Upon entrance, leatherbound journals branding the infamous Swoosh logo were given to attendees as staff members outfitted in Nike Tech Apparel led people into their seats. If the sense of being welcomed as locals wasn’t enough, SuperModi played classic Go-Go tracks as we awaited the conference.
Seated in front of the audience was Jasmine Watkins, .SWOOSH’s Community and Content Manager, Isaiah Andrew, the Creative Director of the platform, and Jasmine Gao, the Lead Product Manager. This trio of speakers introduced the audience to Nike’s Web3 leadership and a rich diversity of disciplines to connect around.
Isaiah begins the conversation with an anecdote about Nike’s iconic waffle runners and how Nike founder Bill Bowerman envisioned the molds in the waffle press to be the inspiration for the outsoles of shoes. This thinking of repurposing existing systems and re-incorporating them into new products established Nike as not just a company but a cultural movement. “Nike is used to breaking the rules, but rules aren’t physical,” says Watkins. As we translate more physical processes and products into digital spaces, this statement can’t be more accurate as Web3 grows.
Gao introduces Web3 as an ecosystem to the audience, where users are granted full transparency to their data in its decentralized system, preventing censorship from big companies. Blockchains, the building blocks of Web3, form the open-source network that creates external resources for all users to use and interact with while maintaining ownership of their digital goods. “The progression from Web2 to Web3 is ownership. You can customize a shoe; you own the asset and the layers and base layers and further customize it like a physical pair.” This new idea provides a network centered around the artists and in support of the consumers allowing artists to own and profit from their contributions. Nike desires to facilitate inclusivity and equity to communities, creators, consumers, and collectors as a virtual space for all.
Jasmine Watkins, .SWOOSH’s Community and Content Manager (Photo: Nia Simone)
Watkins later affirmed these goals by encouraging everyone outside of sports to be involved with this agenda. “If you have a body, you are an athlete, you can contribute off the court into these communities and neighborhoods, and Web3 is a solution, and we need you to co-create the future for us.” When questioned about how micro-communities that don’t have an established relationship with Nike can contribute, Watkins ensures that the platform is developing methods to reach those goals. “As we go into cities with these sessions, I’m reaching out to different organizations, stem research, we want authentic community, [I] come through with an open mind…we go to neighborhood partners on the ground to reach people who need to be reached.”
Being a D.C. native, Isaiah Andrew wanted to ensure that Nike recognized the talent in the DMV. He spoke on the product acting as an invitation to involve D.C. stories, offering a new lens of creativity to the platform. Isaiah initially had yet to gain experience with Web3. He hired software designers of different levels, from experts to independent designers, pooling a diverse team of knowledge to build this platform.
“This is not a traditional Web3. We are trying to open up the doors and let you in,” he explained, telling his hometown that he will ensure we’re covered as someone who made it.
Read this article published by The Washington Informer Bridge here.