A Hong Kong-based digital collectibles project, Monkey Kingdom is a series of pixelated monkey figures inspired by the 72-changing Sun Wukong from Journey to the West, and is the first Asian NFT project to be featured in Sotheby's and Furniture & Glass auctions. They have also collaborated with music sensation Steve Aoki and Japanese fashion brand Ambush.
adidas Originals and Monkey Kingdom A collection of pixel-inspired spring/summer pieces will be released, and for Monkey Kingdom, this is their second brand collab after last year's limited edition t-shirt and sweatshirt with Ambush.
Pixel art infused with rap
In April 2023, Monkey Kingdom, a Hong Kong NFT project, announced a collaboration with sports fashion giant adidas Originals.，The theme is "Not So Serious Auctions."，Launching a joint merchandise collection. The collaboration will be inspired by 1970s hip-hop and party culture.，Monkey Kingdom's iconic pixel art style.，The collection is full of fluttering apparel and footwear.
Born in 2021, Hong Kong-based Monkey Kingdom is a digital collectibles IP with pixelated monkeys that is popular among Asian celebrities, with artists such as Edison Chen, Ricky Fung, Wang Yangming, and Gao Erxuan being part of the community.
Monkey Kingdom was the first NFT project in Asia to be featured in both Sotheby's and Furniture and Artisan's auctions in 2022, with the "Mulan" and "Melon Hat" monkeys fetching hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars. It is worth noting that in the wave of NFT in 2021, a large number of NFT projects emerged in Hong Kong, but most of them were unable to sustain their development afterwards, while Monkey Kingdom is one of the few IPs that have "gone from strength to strength".
After the collaboration with BAYC, this is the first time that adidas has collaborated with an Asian NFT project. adidas Originals and Monkey Kingdom are playing with pixel art, and according to the official news, the collaboration will feature 26 Spring/Summer items: sneakers, shirts, t-shirts, shorts, dresses, and much more.
Alice Wong, Creative Director and Principal Creator of MK, said, "This collaboration represents a major step forward in bridging the Web 3 and Web 2 identities, and after the Sotheby's auction, it proves once again the artistic and commercial value of digital collectibles. We are very excited to bring the nostalgic pixel element to adidas Originals and bring digital art to the public eye," said Alice Wong, Creative Director and Principal Creator of KK.
Having been in the trend world for many years, I have to share some of the highlights of this collab... In the recent global trend of classic culture, the collab is based on the iconic Superstar and Retropy, with flashcards on the tongue to show off the JSON text from NFT, and the brand logo on the end of the shoe and in the insole. Logo on the tail and insole.
To accompany the launch of the collaboration, adidas Originals has released a creative video based on the story of the 'Not So Serious Auction', which showcases the untamed nature of 70's hip-hop and highlights the flamboyant personalities of the Gen Z community. Aoi Yamada, a dance artist from the hit Japanese drama First Love, is also featured as a virtual auctioneer, presenting her versatile fashion expression. adidas Origianls wants to encourage people to express themselves and show their uniqueness.
adidas Orignals x Monkey Kingdom Collection is coming soon!
The collaboration will be available in Hong Kong on May 24th and Taiwan on June 2nd, with a preview event for Monkey Kingdom NFT holders and the Web3 community on May 23rd at the adidas Originals Hong Kong Causeway Bay flagship store.
Update: I found out today that the official website has already put the product on the shelves, but it will not be officially launched until 3pm Hong Kong time, so don't miss it if you are interested in it!
