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Premier auction site Sotheby's is conducting the Heat 2023 sneaker auction, which is offering the "Black" colorway of the beloved Nike x Louis Vuitton Air Force 1 sneaker model. It was previously displayed during the summer-spring 2022 offering of Louis Vuitton 2022 men's runway shoe.
Virgil Abloh collaborated with the Swoosh label to give the Air Force 1 sneaker model 47 unique and different colorways, fusing the trainer's classic codes with the material and insignias of Louis Vuitton. The upcoming Nike x Louis Vuttion "Black" colorway was an exclusive "Friends and Family" colorway.
The "Friends and Family" pair is now being exclusively auctioned on the official e-commerce site of Sotheby's in Sie 8. The auctioned sneaker allows fans to reminisce the late and great fashion designer, Virgil Abloh.
The size 8 will be up for auction until the end of day today, June 13, 2023. The shoe currently holds the bid for $22,000, and is expected to go up to $30,000-$50,000. The bids can increase over time as sneakerheads notoriously swoop in last minute to purchase their favorite shoes.
More about ongoing Sotheby's x Nike x Louis Vuitton Air Force 1 "Black" sneaker auction, Friends and Family pair size 8
Sotheby's is a British-founded American multinational corporation, a premier destination for auctioning limited-edition items. It is conducting a vast sneaker auction under their HEAT 2023 offering multiple iconic sneaker pieces. One of the offerings from the collection is "Black" colorway of the Air Force 1.
The sneaker was designed by the late designer Virgil Abloh, who passed away in 2021 due to cancer. The sneakers were designed as a homage to the hip-hop culture that shaped his work. The official Sotheby's site introduces the sneaker pair with its history:
"In 1988, on the album It Takes Two, DJ E-Z Rock was immortalized wearing a Nike Air Force 1 basketball trainer altered by Dapper Dan with a swoosh adorned in the Louis Vuitton monogram. The cover embodied the hip-hop community’s early practice of hacking together high fashion and sportswear, highlighting diverging brands with equal reverence."
It further states:
"For Spring-Summer 2022, Virgil Abloh collaborated with Nike on bespoke Air Force 1s, fusing the trainer’s classic codes with the insignia and materials of Louis Vuitton in homage to the hip-hop culture that shaped him."
In total, Virgil Abloh designed 47 colorways. To distinguish them from the OG Air Force 1 sneaker model, the shoes were made out of premium Louis Vuitton materials and feature multiple signature quotation marks such as "AIR" and "LV." The individual shoes were made by the Louis Vuitton in the Diesso d'Artico, Venice, atelier.
The sneakers feature a solid-hued upper that is debossed with LV monogram print, which contrasts with the white swoosh, midsoles, and laces.
The shoes are currently suspected to be held by only a rarefied group of athletes, musicians, designers, and others who have been associated with the sneaker culture. The list includes high-profile names such as LeBron James, DJ Khaled, Eminem, and more. All the stars were given "Friends and Family" pairs of the Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 collection.
