l from around the US to attend in person and celebrities watch from premium box seats. And in the early stages, as people cheer for their favourite team, the air is electric with anticipation for the halftime show.  This year’s Super Bowl, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, featured a halftime show destined to make the list of the greatest of all time. Organisers themed the performance around the streets of LA and Dr Dre, one of America’s most successful hip-hop music producers – who grew up in nearby Compton, California.  The field was transformed into a performance space in six minutes, with multiple enclosed stages mirroring LA shopfronts. The deep bass and beats reverberated around the stadium as Dr Dre appeared followed by Snoop Dogg. Together, they performed two well-known hits: “The Next Episode” and the “California Love” – the latter as a tribute to the late Tupac Shakur, who recorded the song with Dre. Other artists included 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and the effervescent Mary J. Blige.  Known as the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Blige took to the stage wearing a sparkling two-piece costume, matching gloves, and thigh-high boots. The ensemble was designed by Peter Dundas in collaboration with Blige and her stylist, Jason Rembert. It was inspired by Blige’s own fashion looks over the years; she often steps onto a stage or red carpet wearing beige, white, sequins, and feathers.  Dundas amplified the shine factor with a reflective snow leopard pattern using mirrors, laser-cut Swarovski crystals, and pearl beadwork. The complete outfit included a fedora-style hat, crop top with lace-up detailing and cutouts, boy shorts, the thigh-high boots and driving gloves.  Events such as the Super Bowl and its halftime show go down in history, especially when the winning team takes home the championship at its home stadium, as the Los Angeles Rams did this year. Branded merchandise flies off the shelves and attendees keep mementos as a reminder of their experience.  NFTs as next-level keepsakes and more The idea of Super Bowl keepsakes reached another level this year, and Dundas took full advantage. He released Blige’s costume as an NFT in partnership with DressX, a digital fashion marketplace and mobile app. In a recent interview with Vogue, Dundas said: “This is the next step in technology, and I want my fashion to be a part of that. [Online], you can be anything you’d want to be, wear whatever you like, and let your imagination travel as far as it can go.” There are four Dundas NFTs available: sketches of two versions of Blige’s costume – The Big Game Bling Outfit and The Big Game Feather Outfit – and 3D outfits of each. The 3D NFTs can be tried on virtually in augmented reality using the DressX app. And in the near future, owners will be able to use the NFTs in the metaverse. Dundas shared with WWD, “Anyone can acquire the outfit digitally and wear it through the metaverse. I think, for me as a brand, outreach with my work is massively exciting. It feels like a whole new dimension that’s added to the designs and to my brand.” In addition to the Dundas NFTs, the NFL has been getting in on the action, offering patrons NFT tickets for high-profile games, including the Super Bowl, that list the ticket’s section, row and seat number.  Robert Gallo, senior vice-president , club business development at the NFL said, “We witnessed great success with this one-of-a-kind fan experience, which provided the momentum to continue this program throughout the postseason, and ultimately at Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles.” There is a huge opportunity for retailers to use NFTs in their customer engagement strategy. Last year, Adidas integrated POAPs (Proof of Attendance Protocol) into its Confirmed app, which enabled its most loyal fans to secure exclusive content and special access to upcoming drops and experiences. Since then, the brand has started carving out its place in the metaverse, teaming up with the Bored Ape Yacht Club and Punks Comic NFT collections, while also reserving land in the Sandbox mobile game. Take the time to understand this new and immersive realm. We’re very quickly moving from 2D to 3D, integrating augmented-reality layers into our physical environments and dressing our avatars for a virtual night out. It might sound too surreal right now, but when you’ve nabbed Dundas’ The Big Game Feather Outfit, you’ll be looking for any opportunity to show it off.