“No brand has done this and mainly because the technology isn’t there, there’s a barrier to entry,” Staple said. “There’s maybe half a dozen players in the field that do this, and Endstate to me is the leader because there are three components that make Endstate desirable to me and you have to do these thing well.
Staple explained he wanted this level of authentication because he’s seen many of his designs, including his sneaker collaborations with the likes of Nike and Reebok, get bootlegged throughout his career. He also wants to encourage other brands under his agency to utilize the technology. The other component of Staple’s partnership with Endstate is to create enhanced experiences for customers. Through the garments’ NFC chip, Staple explained there are opportunities to gamify customers’ outfits, such as customers earning points each time they see someone else wearing a Staple item or if they themselves are discovered wearing Staple. The points can then be used in a rewards system that Staple compared to airline rewards programs.