Sotheby's to auction Virgil Abloh Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 sneaker

From January 26 bidding will open on Virgil Abloh’s Louis Vuitton and Nike collaboration, with 200 pairs of its Air Force 1 shoe to be sold via luxury auctioneers Sotheby’s.

The auction is a link in a string of related Louis Vuitton events to take place from January through 2022. Proceeds will benefit The Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund, which in partnership with the Fashion Scholarship Fund, supports the education of academically promising students of Black, African American, or African descent.

The auction marks the first-ever release of the Louis Vuitton and Nike “Air Force 1” created by Virgil Abloh in collaboration with Louis Vuitton and Nike for the Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer 2022 Collection. Prior to his passing on 28 November 2021, the Louis Vuitton Men’s Artistic Director was involved in the early organization of the auction and its surrounding events. The auction will take place in association with his family.

The 200 pairs of the special edition will be made available in a range of sizes, from 5 - 18, and with a starting bid of 2,000 dollars. The leather sneakers are embellished with Louis Vuitton’s emblematic Monogram and Damier patterns with natural cowhide piping. Each pair will be sold with a Louis Vuitton pilot case, which was reinterpreted from the Maison’s archive in an iconic orange colourway and made of Monogram Taurillon Leather.

In July 2020, Virgil Abloh created the Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund in partnership with the Fashion Scholarship Fund. Launched on a 1 million dollars donation by Abloh and partners Evian, Farfetch, Louis Vuitton, New Guards Group, and Nike, its mission statement is to foster equity and inclusion within the fashion industry by providing scholarships to academically promising students of Black, African American, or African descent.