Virgil Abloh. Nike. ICONS
The Sneaker as (Hyper)Object
Nike and Virgil Abloh reinvigorate 10 icons of sneaker history
In 2016, sportswear manufacturer Nike and fashion designer Virgil Abloh joined forces to create a sneaker collection celebrating 10 of the Oregon-based company’s most iconic shoes. With their project The Ten—which reimagines icons like Air Jordan 1, Air Max 90, Air Force 1, and Air Presto, among others—they reinvigorated sneaker culture.
Virgil Abloh’s new designs offer deep insights into engineering ingenuity and burst with cultural cachet. Drawing on the genius of the original shoe using lettering, ironic labels, collage, and sculpting techniques, Abloh plays with language and sculptural elements to construct new meaning. Inspired by the wit of Dadaism, architectural theory, and avant-garde happenings, he analyzes what makes each shoe iconic and deconstructs it into an artistic assemblage, making each shoe into a piece of industrial design, a readymade sculpture, and a wearable all at once.
Icons traces Abloh’s investigative, creative process through documentation of the prototypes, original text messages from Abloh to Nike designers, and treasures from the Nike archives. We find Swooshes sliced away from Air Jordans and reapplied with tape or thread, Abloh’s typical text fragments in quotation marks on Air Force 1, and All Stars cut into pieces. We take a look behind the scenes and witness Abloh’s DIY approach, which gives each model in the Off-WhiteTM c/o Nike collection its own unique touch.
The book documents Abloh’s cooperative way of working and reaffirms the power of print. For its design Nike and Abloh partnered with the acclaimed London-based design studio Zak Group. Together they conceived a two-part compendium, equal parts catalog and conceptual toolbox. The first part of the book presents a visual culture of sneakers while a lexicon in the second part defines the key people, places, objects, ideas, materials, and scenes from which the project grew. Texts by Nike’s Nicholas Schonberger, writer Troy Patterson, curator and historian Glenn Adamson, and Virgil Abloh himself frame the collaborative work within fashion and design history. A forward by Hiroshi Fujiwara places the project within the historical continuum of Nike collaborators.
“The ultimate Virgil Abloh x Nike retrospective.”
— sneakerfreaker.com
- Dimensions: 25,5 × 30 cm
- Pages: 352
- Language: English
Delivery & Returns
How long does shipping take?
Delivery takes between 2-10 working days from the time of dispatch, with a 1-3 day processing time in our warehouse if the product is in stock. Delivery time may take longer if the item is only available on demand or made-to-order.
During a sale period, please allow additional processing time for your order to be despatched. In addition, please be aware that there could be delivery delays from the shipping carriers during the holiday period due to the a high volume of parcels, which THAT COOL LIVING has no control over.
Will I have to pay additional taxes and duties?
All orders which are despatched to a customer in the EU may not be liable for additional duties and taxes.
All USA orders will not be liable for additional duties if the total order value is below $800 USD.
All orders outside of the EU may be liable for additional duties and taxes that will be due at the point of or after delivery.
Please note that all deliveries to Switzerland, Norway, and the UK are shipped on a DDU (Delivered Duty Unpaid) basis. Additional duties, taxes, and fees may apply.
How much does shipping cost?
Orders delivered to the EU, Norway, Switzerland and the UK are free of charge above €200 and will be shipped via UPS, DHL or Posti. For orders below €200, shipping fees start at €9.90.
Shipping fees for international orders start at €9.90 and will be shipped via UPS, DHL, FedEx or TNT.
Do you ship to all countries?
We ship to almost all countries worldwide. If you are located in Russia please see the section below. If you are experiencing any issues when selecting a shipping destination please contact hello@thatcooliving.com and the team will be happy to assist you.
Shipping currently not available to Ukraine, Russia and Belarus
Due to the current saddening events, we are unable to deliver our goods to Ukrainian, Russian and Belarussian shipping addresses. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.
Where are the products shipped from?
Most products are shipped from our fulfilment facility in the Netherlands and Germany. Some products may be shipped directly from our partners in the European Union.
Can I return an item I bought on sale?
All sale items purchased with a 50% or higher discount, will be final sale and are non-returnable/non-exchangeable.
All sale items purchased with a 25% or lower discount, will be granted a return for either a store credit, or an exchange for an item of the same value.
What if my order is sold out?
In the rare occasion that your order has sold out after you have purchased it, THAT COOL LIVING will notify you and allow you to exchange to a different style of the same value or process a refund.
Pre-Order Purchases
All pre-order item dates are just an estimated date of when stock should arrive at the warehouse and are subject to changes due to unpredicted delays with the shipments. All pre-order orders will be dispatched within 48 hours of the stock arriving.
Can I cancel my order?
We work hard to have your orders delivered to you within the shortest amount of time. Once payment is accepted and the order is confirmed, it is immediately in the process to be fulfilled. Order modification is possible for 12 hours from order placement. Order cancellation is possible within 3 days of order confirmation. Cancellation is not possible for made-to-order items.
If you wish to cancel your order, please contact us as soon as possible with your name and order details at hello@thatcooliving.com.
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How do I return an order?
We have a 14-day return policy, which means you have 14 days after receiving your item to request a return.
To be eligible for a return, your item must be in the same condition that you received it, unworn or unused, with tags, and in its original packaging. You’ll also need the receipt or proof of purchase.
To start a return, you can contact us at hello@thatcooliving.com. You will be responsible for paying your own shipping costs for returning your item. Shipping costs are non-refundable.
We will notify you once we’ve received and inspected your return, and let you know if the refund was approved or not. If approved, you’ll be automatically refunded on your original payment method. Please remember it can take some time for your bank or credit card company to process and post the refund too.
Please note that most of our items are made-to-order items which cannot be returned unless damaged or defective. Whether an item is made-to-order, it is always communicated on the its product page.