Virgil Abloh produced a number of iconic, eclectic designs during his lifetime. The late designer, author and brand owner made sneakers for Nike, Louis Vuitton and his own label, Off-White. Although these separate channels remained that way, at least aesthetically, there were clear overlaps — consistent evidence Abloh did in fact design (or at least approve) them.
According to Abloh, his design process was an act of quasi-trolling, an attempt to push the public’s understanding of design but also encourage the acceptance of sneakers as art. “My greatest design tool personally is to look at what that genre is doing and make it 3–5 percent different. It’s in a way, trolling,” he told the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture during a design lecture.
Whenever he made additions or subtractions — creating this 3-5 percent difference — it worked. For example, a Sotheby’s auction for a lot of his Louis Vuitton Air Force 1s generated millions of dollars. A single pair sold for as much as $352,800 dollars. On StockX, Abloh’s designs fetch three-, four- and five-figure amounts. An Abloh-designed binder clip? $113 dollars. His legendary Jordan 1 Retro High Off-White ‘Chicago’? $50,000 dollars.
As such, only real collectors — maybe even gallerists — are buying this stuff. Probably some super-fans, too. But now there’s “new” Virgil Abloh on the way. Nike, after consulting with Abloh’s wife, Shannon Abloh, announced that the parties’ joint partnership, which paused when Abloh passed in November 2021, will continue as planned, even in his absence.
First on the docket? Two pairs of Off-White Nike Blazer Lows.
The Blazer Low is, as the name implies, a shorter version of the basic Blazer, a high-top basketball sneaker. Abloh, however, renders it nearly unrecognizable by adding a futuristic, pointed TPU heel and a rope lacing system, punching holes into the leather upper and swapping the standard Nike logos for custom, co-branded stamps.
