Endstate is thrilled to announce “Endstate U: New Heights,” a first-of-its-kind NIL collaboration with six elite athletes from Boston College: Zay Flowers, Cayla Barnes, DeMarr Langford, Maria Gakdeng, Christian Mahogany, and Marne Sullivan. Handpicked for their swagger, talent, kindness, and unique stories, each member of the New Heights team designed their own luxury, signature sneaker for the drop.
Fans who purchase the NFT and sneaker combination unlock special experiences curated by each athlete in collaboration with the Endstate team. Each athlete is also releasing an autographed portrait NFT that entitles each customer to a physical signed photo of the athlete.
The theme of the drop was inspired by “looking back to see how far we've come.” Close your eyes and imagine the year is 1988. You’re going to school in Boston, the city where Endstate will be founded 40 years in the future. The Lakers just won another NBA title and George H. W. Bush was recently elected President.
The future is bright but mysterious. There is no world wide web yet! Computers take five minutes to turn on. Many of you reading these words weren’t alive back then.
“It’s fun to travel back in time because so much has developed in our culture since then. Now in 2023 you can buy a digital asset that unlocks a physical sneaker manufactured to the highest quality standards. That same sneaker has a chip inside of it that unlocks unique experiences. They might have been dreaming of flying cars back in 1988 but they surely couldn’t have anticipated Endstate sneakers. In fact, until last year, even the notion that a college athlete could have their own signature shoe deal was plainly against the rules. Playing professionally after they graduate should not be the only way for college athletes to achieve success,” said Stephanie Howard, Endstate cofounder.
“Endstate flexes who I am and what’s important to me through my shoe,” exclaimed Cayla Barnes, star hockey player for Boston College, former Olympian for U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team, and now signature athlete in the Endstate U: New Heights sneaker collection.
Secure your limited edition pair of Endstate U: New Heights sneakers starting on February 15th at 12PM ET at https://www.endstate.io/.
About Endstate
Endstate was founded by Bennett Collen and Stephanie Howard in 2021 out of a lifelong passion for sneakers and a deep understanding of the power of blockchain technology, specifically NFTs. Bennett is the former Founder/CEO of Cognate, which was acquired by GoDaddy in 2018 for its pioneering use of smart contracts/NFTs to represent trademark rights, and Stephanie is a veteran design director known for her work at Nike, New Balance, and Reebok, including one of her most notable designs - the New Balance 850. She was recently featured in the books Sneaker Law, She Kicks, and London Design Museum's Sneakers Unboxed.