Sotheby’s Auctions Virgil Abloh’s Nike Air Force 1 Collection

In a collaboration with Louis Vuitton, Sotheby’s is auctioning off 200 special edition pairs of Louis Vuitton and Nike “Air Force 1” by Virgil Abloh sneakers.

Made entirely from calf leather, the special edition shoes feature the late Abloh’s signature inverted commas and Louis Vuitton’s monogram. The exclusive sneakers come in an orange Louis Vuitton pilot case.

One of the highest bids placed on a pair of custom sneakers has reached more than A$154,000, while all other bids on the “Air Force 1’s” have exceeded A$42,000.

In an article in Reuters, Sotheby’s head of streetwear and modern collectibles, Brahm Wachter, said that last week the auction was at around US$6.1 million in hammer price, more than double Sotheby’s original estimate.

Proceeds of the auction will benefit The Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund, “an organisation that aims to foster equity and inclusion within the fashion industry by providing scholarships to academically promising students of Black, African American or African descent.”

Virgil Abloh, who passed away due to cancer on November 28 last year, created the Louis Vuitton and Nike “Air Force 1” for Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2022 collection.

The Nike Air Force 1, which was first released in 1982, is recognised as one of the most successful sneakers ever created.