In 2022, 40 years since the Air Force 1 was introduced, a culmination of the rich history of the silhouette was realized with the introduction of the Louis Vuitton x Nike ¡°Air Force 1¡± by Virgil Abloh. Released posthumously, Alboh¡¯s work seamlessly connected the decades of prominence of Nike¡¯s famed sneaker.
In total, Virgil Abloh designed 47 bespoke pairs of the Nike ¡°Air Force 1¡± for the Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer 2022 show in collaboration with Nike. To distinguish them from the original Nike Air Force 1, the sneakers were made with materials employed in Abloh¡¯s Louis Vuitton men¡¯s collections and styled with his signature quotation marks, echoing the written graphics Abloh used to adorn the shoes. Every pair was made by Louis Vuitton in Fiesso d¡¯Artico, marking the first time the AF1 model was crafted outside of a Nike factory.
In January 2022, the first installment of the Louis Vuitton x Nike ¡°Air Force 1¡± by Virgil Abloh came to market through Sotheby¡¯s, with a total of 200 pairs offered at auction in an exclusive colorway and accompanying pilot case. A general release of nine additional pairs dropped in June 2022. This collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Nike has resulted in some of the most authentic, high-end sneakers ever created.
