In June 2021, Virgil Abloh enlisted the help of Nike for a collaboration between the sportswear brand and Louis Vuitton. Debuting at the Louis Vuitton spring/summer menswear runway, what unfolded was a collection comprising of 47 bold iterations of the iconic "Air Force 1" style. Now, almost a year has passed and the French fashion House has announced that nine of the bespoke mid-top and low-top styles were to be reimagined with a Louis Vuitton twist, and they will now be available to shop from Tuesday, July 19.
The collaboration fuses Louis Vuitton codes and craftsmanship with the signature motifs of Abloh and, of course, Nike's own distinct design. There's a classic white pair of "Air Force 1's" crafted from calf leather and embossed with the Louis Vuitton monogram, whereas an inversion of the style is available in black suede. Another is swathed in Abloh's visual language and colourful patchwork detailing. A handful of two-tone editions will make an appearance, coming in white splashed with either blue, red or green in an eclectic mixture of colour Louis Vuitton is known for. Meanwhile, a metallic gold set acts as the showstopper, harking back to Abloh's first collection for Louis Vuitton, one for those who enjoy adding an element of opulence to their shoe collections. To cap it all off, there's a pair coated in the Damier print and splashed with graffiti dreamt up by artist, Ghusto Leone.
As for the rest of the bespoke designs? They formed part of an exhibition that showed at Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse in New York City from May 20-31.
Where to buy the Louis Vuitton x Nike "Air Force 1" collection
You can shop the Virgil Abloh's Nike x Louis Vuitton "Air Force 1" sneaker drop from 6pm AEST on Tuesday, July 19, from the Louis Vuitton website. Given that this is one of the last collections Abloh laboured over, we expect it will sell out instantly.
For more news from Nike, see its recent collaboration with Jacquemus and Birkenstock.
