On Oct. 27, Nike filed over half a dozen trademarks with the US Patent and Trademark Office, including those for its swoosh logo and slogan “Just Do It,” that reveal plans of making and selling virtual footwear and apparel.

“Nike’s move into the metaverse will help with wider mainstream adoption, prompting more users to spend time in virtual worlds,” Justin Melillo, CEO of MoNA, which works with NFT artists to create metaverse art galleries, told Quartz. “Nike will be able to capitalize on their enormous brand reach, while creating some dope metaverse fits for virtual avatars.”

However, Melillo warns that Nike should “begin thinking about their footprint inside the metaverse” to avoid migrating offline problems into the virtual world. Nike, has in the past, been accused of gender discrimination and racism by former employees, allegations the company denies. And such a massive force could overshadow upcoming talent and monopolize the space quickly.

“We hope that Nike will involve artists from diverse backgrounds as they think about their metaverse plans, and will provide some sort of decentralized ownership over their virtual products,” said Melillo.

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