Play-to-earn was so 2021 — could wear-to-earn dominate 2022?

Innovation is endless in the crypto space. We've seen how play-to-earn has transformed the world of gaming, while move-to-earn rewards enthusiasts for staying active.

And now, an exchange is exploring a whole new category: wear-to-earn.

Tidex's new collection consists of 10,000 NFT T-shirts — each with unique features.

While these garments are primarily virtual, lucky owners can also order a T-shirt that can be worn in the real world. Not only are they made of the highest quality, but 10 "super cool prints" are available — with deliveries available across the globe.

As you can see, Tidex is capitalizing on a trend of creating NFTs that blend the virtual with the physical. And given how crypto enthusiasts love merchandise, Tidex hopes its threads become as rare and coveted as those from designer brands.

An unboxing shows that physical T-shirts come in a distinctive, beautifully colored tube — and on the top, a sticker shows the print and the size that's been chosen. A selection of augmented reality stickers can be found within, along with product care instructions to help prolong the life of the product.

And then there's the star of the show: the T-shirt itself. Once worn, AR filters on smartphones transform these tops into vibrant, animated pieces of art. That's going to be a good ice breaker when you're next at a crypto conference.

How it works

Some 3,000 of NFTs are being sold in a presale beginning on July 15 with a 25% early bird discount, with TDX tokens accepted as a payment method. All of the NFTs can also be used to mine a number of cryptocurrencies.

They can only be bought on Tidex.com, and there are no limits on the number of T-shirts one person can order and own.

The NFTs themselves will be minted from Sept. 1, 2022 onwards — and from this date, physical shirts will also be available to order.

This minting process coincides with the long-awaited launch of the TIDEX VERSE app, which is being described as a crucial step as the project enters the metaverse.

Owners of these NFTs also have plenty of options, not least because it will be possible to resell them on a secondary marketplace.

Eric Ma — who became the new CEO of Tidex on July 1 — told Cointelegraph that this wear-to-earn campaign "is a stepping stone in our journey towards building our own metaverse." 

What's next?

Beyond the NFT presale, Tidex is set to have a presence at the Blockchain Economy Istanbul Summit that is scheduled to take place on July 27 and 28. 

The platform's metaverse is already in testing mode too — with 16 mini-games available for crypto enthusiasts to enjoy.

Tidex launched back in 2017, and has long been designed to appeal to newcomers and advanced traders alike. Waves founder Aleksandr Ivanov is one of the exchange's advisers.

According to the project, the trading platform already has millions of users worldwide.

New use cases for nonfungible tokens are continually emerging — and Tidex believes its wear-to-earn campaign will make a splash, with NFTs that offer utility.