Louis Vuitton and Nike “Air Force 1” by Virgil Abloh (Lifestyle)
October 16, 2024
The Louis Vuitton and Nike “Air Force 1” collaboration is one of the most iconic sneaker collaborations in recent years. This line of Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1s was part of Virgil Abloh’s work as Louis Vuittons’ creative director before his passing in 2021.
In recent years there has been tons of overlap between streetwear and high-end designer fashion, and Virgil Abloh was a huge part of that movement before his passing. Off-White was Virgil’s take on luxury fashion, and he would commonly reference streetwear in his higher end designs. Virgil would be named Louis Vuitton’s creative director in 2018, and brought a ton of hype to Louis Vuitton with his designs that felt fresh and new while still referencing Louis Vuitton’s heritage.
The Nike collaboration fused Nike’s iconic Air Force 1 design with Louis Vuitton’s craftsmanship and quality. The sneakers used luxurious materials from Louis Vuitton including their classic monogram leather and Damier checkered pattern on the Air Force 1 silhouette.
The pairs were extremely limited with different versions of the sneaker. The first version featured Louis Vuitton’s brown monogram and white damier patterns on the upper, and these were limited to 200 pairs that were launched through a charity auction with Sotheby’s. The second version of the sneakers were a pack of eight color-ways (black, red, purple, green, yellow, powder blue, orange, and dark blue) that were exclusive to friends and family. These versions were pretty subtle with the LV monogram debossed throughout the upper and Swoosh, and each of the pairs had matching colored uppers and outsoles with a white Swoosh as contrast. The versions that were released to the public came in three styles. The first style was “Triple Black” and “Triple White” versions with the LV monogram debossed into each panel. Then, versions in blue, red, and green with white debossed monogram and colored LV monogram. Then, two metallic versions: one with a silver toe-box and multi-color base, and the other with an entirely gold upper.
**My personal favorite pairs in the collection are the purple and yellow friends and family versions.
