RTFKT Co-Founder Benoît Pagotto Dies at 41
Benoît Pagotto, the co-founder of digital fashion studio RTFKT, has passed away at the age of 41. The news was confirmed by his colleagues.
French tech executive and longtime friend Philippe Rodriguez shared on LinkedIn that Pagotto’s passing was sudden. He described Pagotto as a creative, humble, and passionate person who “believed that beauty could change the world.”
Soon after, many friends and figures in the crypto community shared their condolences online.
RTFKT co-founder Steven Vasilev said on X (formerly Twitter) that Pagotto’s “vision and inspiration will live on forever.”
Former RTFKT CTO Samuel Cardillo remembered him as “a grumpy Parisian, an asshole and a genius,” saying he was honest, unique, and full of character.
Greg Solano, co-founder of Bored Ape Yacht Club, called Pagotto “one of the kindest and funniest people” he met in crypto, adding that he would miss Pagotto’s big, cheerful laugh.
Pagotto helped make RTFKT one of the most popular digital fashion and NFT brands.
Founded in 2020 with Chris Le and Steven Vasilev, RTFKT became known for its virtual sneakers and collectibles, especially the Clone X × Takashi Murakami series.
In December 2021, Nike bought RTFKT. Under Pagotto’s leadership, the company explored NFTs connected to physical products, combining sneaker culture with blockchain technology.
However, Nike began scaling down RTFKT operations in late 2024. Earlier this year, RTFKT faced several issues:
- A temporary cloud failure caused some NFT images to disappear.
- A $5 million class-action lawsuit accused Nike and RTFKT of misleading NFT buyers and abandoning the project.
As of now, there has been no official obituary or announcement from the French press. The cause of death has not been made public.
