When Virgil Abloh released his debut, and now historic, collaboration with Nike in 2017, the sneaker world changed forever. The sneakers were all familiar Nike and Jordan silhouettes but were all reimagined with a modern twist. As a big fan of architecture and art, Abloh’s unique design perspective saw him push the boundaries to deliver what are now regarded as some of the most pivotal sneaker releases of the decade.
The collaboration was born in 2017 with “The Ten” which saw as the name suggests, was made up of ten iconic Swoosh models, including the Air Force 1, Air Max 97, Zoom Vaporfly SP, and Air VaporMax.
Abloh maintained the fundamental silhouette of each shoe but focused on altering the stitching and materials of each shoe to create his signature deconstructed look and feel. The prototyping process involved literally dismembering the shoes with an X-ACTO knife and then reconstructing them from scratch
Since then, the design powerhouses have released over 40 sneakers, and from that extensive catalogue, we’ve picked a ten all of our own. Keep reading to discover our favourite Off-White and Nike collabs.
Jordan 1 Retro High Off-White Chicago
It is impossible not to start with the shoe that has defined the Jordan brand; the Jordan 1 High. Rather than completely disrupt a historic design, the Jordan 1 Retro High Off-White Chicago embraced all of the silhouette’s history to create something that was new and unique, but at the same time, stayed close to its roots.
Jordan 1 Retro High Off-White University Blue
Staying with the Jordan 1 theme, the University Blue colourway is inspired by the college attended by Michael Jordan, the University of North Carolina. Needless to say, the combination of an iconic silhouette and colourway, along with Abloh’s signature design cues equated in a release for the ages.
Jordan 4 Retro Off-White Sail (W)
In case you hadn’t already guessed, Michael Jordan has been an important influence in Virgil Abloh’s life. Another iconic model was imagined by the Chicago-raised designer during Abloh’s “Figures of Speech” exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in 2019. After months of teasing, the sneaker finally got a wider release in summer 2020.
Nike Air Max 97 Off-White Menta
Before this colourway, most Air Max 97 fans would connect the Nike Air Max 97 with the “Metallic” or “Gold” models. However, Abloh chose this time to blaze a trail all of his own with this colourful release. Debuted for the first time at the Off-White SS19 runway show, the Air Max 97 Menta instantly caught the attention of the whole world.
Nike Dunk Low Off-White Pine Green
The recent resurgence of the Nike Dunk did not go unnoticed by Abloh, who took this opportunity to reinvent another classic Nike silhouette with both hands. As a lover of underground subcultures, the designer couldn’t resist paying homage to skate culture’s adoption of the 1980’s Nike Basketball silhouette.
Nike Blazer Mid Off-White Wolf Grey Serena “Queen”
Both Nike and Off-White have always been associated with the biggest names in sports and popular culture. Inspired by the most successful tennis player of all time, Serena Williams, this Nike Blazer utilises a florescent colourway inspired by New York, with a wolf grey upper and a colour gradient sole that goes from purple to platinum. This sneaker released in August 2018.
Jordan 5 Retro Off-White Sail
Another iconic silhouette from the Jordan stable, Abloh added a second colourway to his list of Jordan 5 collaborations with the Jordan 5 Retro High Off-White Sail,. This release pays homage to the first Jordan that Virgil ever owned. This Jordan 5 is comprised of a sail textile mesh upper with translucent netted panels and circular window inserts throughout the shoe. 3M reflective tongues, fire red Jordan branding, and an aged translucent outsole completes the design.
Nike Air Force 1 Low Off-White MCA University Blue
Released in celebration of Abloh’s exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the “MCA” colourway features the same leather construction as the coveted “ComplexCon” and “MoMA” versions of the Off-White Nike Air Force 1. With the first pair exclusively gifted to Serena Williams in May of 2019, the Air Force 1 Low Off-White MCA University Blues were one of Virgil’s many highly anticipated releases, dropping through a super-exclusive raffle.
Nike Air Max 90 Off-White Desert Ore
The legacy of the Air Max 90 makes it a difficult blueprint to work from, but Virgil once again flexed his creative muscles to release the Air Max 90 Off-White “Desert Ore”. This AM 90 comes with a beige upper, mango orange Nike “Swoosh”, beige midsole, and beige sole.
Nike Air Presto Off-White
Considered by many as the best release from “The Ten” collection, the Nike Air Presto Off-White has acquired great resale value. The stretchy, seamless upper provides the foot with natural freedom of movement, so much so that the Presto has earned the nickname the “t-shirt for feet”.
