It’s been nearly two months since the fashion community and the world at large lost an icon, Virgil Abloh. Before he left us, Virgil, LV’s Men’s Artistic Director, debuted a Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 collection that broke the internet and had fans thirsting like no tomorrow. Now, the Maison has finally announced the release information for the collaboration — all carried out the way Virgil intended.
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The release info
Sotheby’s announced the release of the collection, via auction, just yesterday on their official Instagram account. According to the auction house, 200 pairs of the LV x Nike Air Force 1 created for the Spring/Summer 2022 collection will be sold with a Louis Vuitton pilot case from the same collection.
The pilot case was “reinterpreted from the Maison’s archive in an iconic orange colorway and made of Taurillon Monogram Leather” and includes a classic S lock closure in white as well as a Swoosh-shaped luggage tag. This case will not be sold outside this auction during general release.
Each pair includes Virgil’s signature quotation marks around the word “AIR” on the midsole and this exclusive auction pair has the Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas leather covering the upper while the Louis Vuitton Damier Azur pattern is feature on the toe box, Swoosh and heel panel. The off-white/cream laces have the word “LACET” on the tips and a co-branded Louis Vuitton and Nike leather tag is stitched on sideways along the top of the tongue. There’s also gold SKU coding on the medial side of the sneakers, similar to how Virgil used to add Off-White on the Nike collaborations.
Below you can find the breakdown of pairs being sold at auction by size:
5 – 1 pair
5.5 – 1 pair
6 – 7 pairs
6.5 – 9 pairs
7 – 20 pairs
7.5 – 22 pairs
8 – 28 pairs
8.5 – 25 pairs
9 – 26 pairs
9.5 – 16 pairs
10 – 16 pairs
10.5 – 3 pairs
11 – 9 pairs
11.5 – 1 pair
12 – 5 pairs
12.5 – 1 pair
13 – 3 pairs
14 – 2 pairs
15 – 2 pairs
16 – 1 pair
17 – 1 pair
18 – 1 pair
This year, 2022, makes the 40th anniversary for the iconic and instantly recognizable Bruce Kilgore-designed Nike Air Force 1. For those that don’t know, 47 bespoke pairs were designed for the actual show and those pairs were crafted by Louis Vuitton in its shoe manufacturing center in Fiesso d’Artico, Italy.
In order to secure yourself a pair, you need to head over to sothebys.com and enter the auction starting on January 26 at 9 a.m. EST. Opening bids are set at $2,000.
While estimates for each pair are $5,000-$15,000 USD, my prediction is that each pair will reach at least the $50,000 mark out of respect for their late creator — any size with only 1 pair has the chance to break 6 digits. There is no word yet on additional colorways and release information for them, but friends and family pairs have been popping up on Instagram and those colors will not release to the public.
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The most important part of this auction
The most important takeaway from this auction isn’t the actual sneakers themselves. Before his passing, Virgil was already working with Sotheby’s on planning the auction to support the education of “academically promising students of Black, African American, or African descent” through his Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund, in partnership with the Fashion Scholarship Fund.
Sotheby’s will carry out Virgil’s wishes for the auction and donate 100% of the hammer price (doesn’t include buyer’s premium and overhead premium which is retained by the auction house) to the above mentioned fund.
How to cop
Once again, for a chance to purchase, you need to head over to sothebys.com and enter the auction starting on January 26 at 9 a.m. EST. Good luck everyone and rest in power Virgil.
On view
For those located in New York City, you will have a chance to view these exclusive sneakers at Sotheby’s in a public exhibition until February 8, make a reservation to view the LV x Nike AF1 here.
Sotheby’s New York
1334 York Ave.
New York, NY 10021
In related news, Virgil’s final collection, the Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2022 collection, held its show in Paris earlier today, watch it below.
Photos via Sotheby’s
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