AKU AND PAPER PLANES COME TOGETHER FOR A FIRST OF ITS KIND COLLABORATION
A special limited edition Aku x Paper Planes 9Fifty Snapback Hat will be available exclusively to Akutar holders.
Aku, the cryptonative NFT character created by artist and former professional athlete Micah Johnson, and Paper Planes, New York based fashion brand that combines culture and streetwear fashion, announce their collaboration to create a special edition, limited run of 350 Aku x Paper Planes 9Fifty Snapback hats, which will be available exclusively to Akutar holders.
The limited run Aku x Paper Planes 9Fifty Snapback Hat is black with a green undervisor, features the embroidered Paper Planes logo alongside Aku graphic details on the front, removable Paper Planes and Aku logo pins on the crown, and additional Aku artwork on the right side.
The original Paper Planes hat has become highly coveted within the streetwear community, often referred to as the “The Crown.” The Aku x Paper Planes collaboration is significant as it is only the second Paper Planes crown in history to allow a partner’s design to be featured alongside the Planes logo on the front of the hat, as past collaborations usually leave their imprint on the designated hallmark right side of the hat.
“Paper Planes and Aku both remind us to dream, and aim to inspire us with the confidence and patience to pursue greatness in achieving our dreams. We’ve been mission aligned from the beginning, and excited to be able to share the piece of history this collab will represent.” – Summer Watson, President and Co-Founder of Aku.
Aku and Paper Planes first collaborated in December 2021 for Aku’s Chapter 7: Candle following an organic “aha” moment between Paper Planes Co-Founder Emory Jones, Aku Co-Founder Summer Watson and Aku Creative Council founding member Upscale Vandal. The concept and seamless collaboration for this limited edition hat came together the very next day after Chapter 7’s release.
Paper Planes joined a select group of partners for the April 2022 launch of Aku’s PFP collection of 3D avatars, Akutars, where Paper Planes designed unique one-of-one Akutar designs and rare traits for the collection of 15,000 Akutars.
In June 2022, the 323 Akutar Paper Planes trait holders were airdropped a surprise NFT package, currently available on secondary markets such as OpenSea, which they will be able to redeem for the physical Aku x Paper Planes hat starting today.
Aku began as an NFT series based on its creator Micah Johnson’s own experience of hearing a young boy ask if astronauts could be Black. The first set of NFTs launched as short videos that followed Aku, a young boy with an oversized space helmet that acts as a portal to his dreams and digital exploration. The 10-part series was released in 10 chapters from February 21, 2021 to February 21, 2022, generating over $24MM in sales to date. Aku Chapters were followed by the release of 15,000 unique 3D avatars, or Akutars, injecting an impactful image of a young, confident, Black boy in the social media profiles of crypto and culture enthusiasts alike.
Notable Aku NFT collectors include: Pusha-T, Pharrell Williams and more.
ABOUT AKU
Aku is a digital explorer and crypto-native IP created by artist and former MLB player, Micah Johnson. Launched in February 2021, Aku has since become the first NFT to be optioned for film and television projects, as well as the first NFT to travel to space. Aku is a conduit to empower the next generation of astronauts, explorers, and dreamers. Aku has been named to Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2022.
ABOUT MICAH JOHNSON
Micah Johnson is the creator of Aku. After hearing a young boy ask his mom if astronauts could be Black, Micah released an NFT of a 3D animation depicting a boy with an oversized astronaut helmet. In less than one year, that NFT took Micah from a retired athlete to “2020 NFT of the Year” and the first creator to have an NFT optioned for a major feature film. Named one of the “Top 50 Most Influential People in NFTs” by Fortune, Micah’s foresight and belief in the web3 communities to evangelize IP has resulted in over $24MM in sales volume for Aku to date.
ABOUT PAPER PLANES
The Paper Plane logo symbolizes the idea that as big as the world is, it is still accessible. Your imagination can take you anywhere you want to go – a message that resonates with the spirit and culture of streetwear.
FOLLOW
Website: https://www.aku.world
IG: https://www.instagram.com/aku.dreams/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/akudreams
