The Sneaker As Art
Reviving Classics with Nike and Virgil Abloh
In a groundbreaking collaboration from 2016, Nike teamed up with visionary designer Virgil Abloh to breathe new life into ten legendary sneakers. This creative journey celebrates the legacy of iconic models like the Air Jordan 1, Air Max 90, Air Force 1, and Air Presto, capturing the spirit of sneaker culture.
Virgil Abloh's inventive designs dive deep into the artistry of sneakers, infusing them with cultural flair. He reinterprets the essence of each shoe using bold lettering, playful labels, and sculptural techniques, transforming them into wearable art. Inspired by Dadaism, avant-garde movements, and architectural concepts, Abloh dissects the iconic status of each shoe, reimagining them as industrial design marvels, ready-made sculptures, and everyday wearables.
The virgil abloh book offers an immersive look at his creative process, featuring prototypes, personal messages to Nike designers, and gems from Nike's archives. Witness the creative magic as Swooshes are repositioned, text fragments adorn the Air Force 1, and All Stars are deconstructed. This DIY approach gives each model in the Off-White™ c/o Nike collection a distinct personality.
Experience Abloh's collaborative spirit through this thoughtfully designed book, a joint effort with the esteemed London design studio, Zak Group. The two-part compendium serves as a visual sneaker catalog and a conceptual toolbox. Dive into sneaker culture in the first section and explore a lexicon of key influences in the second. Essays by Nike's Nicholas Schonberger, writer Troy Patterson, curator Glenn Adamson, and Virgil Abloh himself, enrich the narrative, while a foreword by Hiroshi Fujiwara places this project in the context of Nike's storied past.
“The ultimate Virgil Abloh x Nike retrospective.” — sneakerfreaker.com
