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In 2021, Virgil Abloh unveiled a wide assortment of Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 colorways during his Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring-Summer 2022 runway show, titled Amen Break in Paris.
During the Amen Break Show, Virgil revealed 21 out of 47 pairs in both low and mid-top silhouettes. Virgil Abloh has brought together two of his biggest brand partners, Louis Vuitton and Nike, to create new versions of Air Force 1.
Some of the colorways saw iconic details from Virgil Abloh’s founded label Off-White on sneakers, including the script, the Air in quotes, the laces adorned in the “LACET” script, and more.
The Nike Air Force 1 silhouette was designed by Bruce Kilgore in 1982 and is one of the most successful footwear lines by the Swoosh brand. In 1988, on the album It Takes Two, DJ E-Z Rock wore a pair of Nike Air Force 1, which Dapper Dan customized. In the video, the sneakers’ swoosh is adorned with LV’s iconic monogram print; the shoe was subsequently immortalized in the sneaker culture.
The shoe also marked the first time the hip-hop community-integrated high fashion with sportswear, diverging brands with equal reverence.
Many colorways were unveiled altogether for the brand enthusiasts and fans, but out of those 47 pairs, a few stood out the most and came at the top of our list.
Top 5 Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 colorways by Virgil Abloh
1) Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 Monogram
Virgil Abloh collaborated with Nike on an Air Force 1 silhouette to amalgamate the materials of Louis Vuitton with the classic codes of trainers, paying homage to the hip-hop culture that shaped the designer.
This sneaker is constructed entirely out of precious calf leather. The sneakers’ uppers are embellished with Louis Vuitton’s Damier Patterns and Monograms with natural cowhide piping. The shoe is named Monogram, and the pair was made only for a limited amount of 200 units, available in sizes UK 5 to UK 18.
The pair were sold to the public through an auction of these 200 pairs on Jan 26, 2022, and ended on Feb 8, 2022. According to complex, the pair received an overwhelming response just after it went live and received 5000 bids in the first 24 hours.
The auction reportedly collected $25.3 million, and 100% of the proceeds went to Abloh’s The Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund, which supports the education of Black, African American, and American descent children.
The shoes were accompanied by a particular LV pilot case reimagined in an orange colorway, designed by Virgil Abloh himself for the Spring Summer 2022 collection.
2) Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 Canary Yellow
The Yellow Canary Air Force 1 Colorway is slightly different from the rest of the previously released 8-pack Friends and Family pack. The upper of the sneakers, just like the other seven, is entirely made up of precious calf leather uppers. The calf leather constructed uppers are fully debossed with LV Damier print.
A swath of yellow can be seen across the entire shoe, including the toe box area, which, compared to others, is different. The canary yellow colorway is later contrasted with a similarly-patterned white swoosh, midsoles, sockliners, and laces. A hit of neon green is seen with the addition of a hangtag.
The co-branded details appear on the asymmetrical leather tongue tag and heel counters of the shoe. Moreover, the signature Off-Whit Helvetica text is embossed on the laces and midsoles of the shoes.
White laces sport Virgil’s trademark quotation, “LACET,” to add contrast to the tongue. Further branding can be seen on the heel tabs and insoles. At the same time, the white midsoles feature the “AIR” branding over the air fixtures.
The shoes will be accompanied by a branded strap hooked with an oversized white swoosh and the “Louis Vuitton Air” tag. The shoes come packaged in a unique custom box that includes a “Virgil Was Here” postcard and two dustbags to complete the whole package.
3) Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 Red
After fans received early pictures of Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1s, DJ Khaled, one of the most prolific sneakerheads, showcased a rare pair of red colors from the collection to his fans.
The LV AF1, which was seen in the Amen Break show, became one of the most talked-about sneakers, DJ Khaled was later also spotted wearing the pair to a “Miami Heats” basketball game, where he placed a matching LV pillow underneath the shoes.
The bold red iteration’s calf leather upper is entirely decked out in red hue and d in the debossed with LV monogram print. The red contrasts with a white leather monogrammed swoosh. While the toe cap is dressed in red, the rest of the toe box area is also dressed in white.
A hit of neon green is seen on the shoe with the addition of a hangtag just below the swoosh. The stuffed tongues also feature a red-colored leather tag skewed in Abloh’s usual manner.
The “AIR” Helvetica text is written in red and appears on the white midsole. DJ Khaled shared an unboxing video of the shoes, which showed the fans that the shoes weren’t given in a special box but instead an embossed cardboard shoe box that unfolds to reveal the shoes in their dustbags.
4) Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 Green
The green colorway from the friends and family collection of the Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 collection was seen at the feet of supermodel Gigi Hadid. While traveling to Italy for Milan Fashion Week, the supermodel gave a slight nod to Virgil Abloh, a dear friend of hers.
The supermodel wore green paisley joggers, which matched the shoes. Hadid also shared a snapshot of her sneakers on her Instagram handle, where she captioned her post:
"Buongiorno Milano"
In another post, she also shared a close-up look of the sneakers in image 2, which marked Virgil Abloh’s final collaboration with LV and Nike.
Hadid’s AF1 pair featured calf leather uppers decked out in a vibrant green color, contrasted with white. Both green and white were completed with Vuitton’s monogram embossments.
The laces, midsoles, and sock liners are dressed in the white version. The lace-up pair features Abloh’s traditional “Lacet” and “Air” branding upon the shoes, alongside the co-branded leather tongue tags.
5) Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 Damier Azur with Graffiti
Last is the graffiti-adorned pair of Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1, which comes in a Damier Azur pattern, but in a lighter shade of Beige. The shoe comprises pure calf leather uppers with a natural cowhide-leather trim lining.
The lateral sides of the shoes are adorned with “Louis Vuitton” graffiti, which Virgil Abloh created in partnership with the artist Ghusto Leon. The ne plus ultra is tagged with the house logo and is one of the nine styles set to be commercialized in June.
The Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 Damier Azur and Graffiti pair will be launched online on LV’s site in June, with no official release date released. The pair will be launched in both low and mid-top silhouettes.
The low-top silhouette will retail at €2000 (approx $2106), and the mid-top silhouette will retail at €2500 (approx $2632) in sizes Uk 3.5 to UK 8. The pair will be launched globally through inclusive digital activation, and brand members of Maison’s community will be given early access to the shoes.
