The Ten: Virgil Abloh reinterprets 10 classic Nike
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by P. M.
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Virgil Abloh’s passion for Nike has been cultivated since his childhood. Originally from Rockford, Illinois, as a teenager, he and his friends used to draw new designs to share with Nike via mail. We were obsessed with Air Jordan,” says the designer, now 36 years old and living between Milan and Chicago. “Michael Jordan was a true hero, someone unreal like Superman to me.”
His education, heavily influenced by the ’90s, mixes sneakers, hip-hop culture, graffiti, and blends with his academic background as an engineer and architect. As the founder of OFF-WHITE, he is able to bring to life a fluid creativity that can subvert the traditional rules of fashion. Driven by the need to make his dream come true, the designer created “The Ten,” a collaboration that reimagines 10 Nike shoe silhouettes, thanks to a new language of deconstruction. “It’s something bigger, it’s not just about sneakers,” says Virgil. “It’s avant-garde. These 10 shoes surpass all limits of performance and style. To me, they are on the same level as the David or the Mona Lisa. You may disagree, but they express meaning. That’s what matters.”
Thus, Virgil Abloh reworked the 10 iconic models that have marked Nike’s history into two style categories over 10 months: Revealing and Ghosting. The first group gathers a series of models created to be accessible (Air Jordan, Nike Air Max 90, Nike Air Presto, Nike Air VaporMax, and Nike Blazer Mid) whose designs are transformed with small applications, cuts, and writings. The second group is instead the most futuristic version of the collection (Converse Chuck Taylor, Nike Zoom Fly SP, Nike Air Force 1 Low, Nike React Hyperdunk 2017, and Nike Air Max 97) and introduces the use of transparent rubber applied as a protective shield.
All the models will be presented at the “Nike Off Campus” event in New York from September 6 to 8 and in London from September 14 to 17. The first 5 silhouettes will be available for presale at NikeLab in New York City (September 9-23), London (September 18-22), Milan (September 21-25), and Paris (September 26-30). The complete collection of The Ten will be available starting in November at NikeLab stores worldwide.