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At Paris Fashion Week, Virgil Abloh first previewed his Nike Dunk Low collaboration. The sneakers featured graffiti artist Futura as part of his Off-White Spring/Summer 2020 "PLASTIC" Collection. The sneakers incorporate design influences from both designers. It includes Virgil's double-laced interpretation of the traditional Nike Dunk style and Futura's trademark abstract hand.
As per the rumors, the Off-White x Futura x Nike Dunk Low was expected to reach the public on September 30, 2022. However, as the sneakers weren't released to the public, Sotheby's will auction the highly sought-after never-before-available Nike, Futura, and Virgil Abloh collaboration.
Sneakerheads were quite excited about the drops right after they saw the pair's first look and had waited months to lay their hands on these pairs. However, they were informed that only eight pairs will be available and not directly from a store but via an auction. Needless to say, fans are quite disappointed in the auction. They took to social media to express their disappointment at the news and had quite a lot to say about it.
Fans react to Off-White x Futura x Nike Dunk Low auction news
Two colors of the extremely scarce sneakers will be made available for public bidding. The blue pair is an homage to the iconic Michael Jordan and was inspired by the Carolina Blue of the University of North Carolina Tarheels.
Among the two colorways, four will have the "UNC" color palate, and the other four will have the "New York Mets" orange. The orange pair were inspired by Futura's passion for the New York Mets.
The auction will open on sothebys.com with an anticipated price of $2,000 to $4,000. Everyone will be able to take part in the auction. However, considering the price range, many will not be able to afford it and eager sneaker buyers are quite frustrated by that.
The Off-White x Futura x Nike Dunk Low auction will start on April 5, 2023, and will continue till April 14, 2023
On April 5th, 2023, the auction for the unreleased sneaker pairs will start at Sotheby's. The bidding will start at only $1, but the estimated price tag for the pairs can be between $2,000 and $4,000.
In the official announcement, Sotheby's said:
"Sotheby's is proud to present The Nike Dunk Low ‘Virgil Abloh™ x Futura Laboratories’, a special global online auction of the highly coveted Nike Dunk Low ‘Virgil Abloh™ x Futura Laboratories’ designed by Virgil Abloh and the artist Futura.
It further continued:
"A total of eight pairs are being made available publicly for auction in two colorways. Proceeds of this auction shall be donated to support the work of the Virgil Abloh Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Virgil Abloh Securities, the creative company which upholds the far-reaching practice, teachings, and ethos of the late creative visionary, Virgil Abloh."
According to Sotheby's, the Foundation, which will begin operations later this year, will carry out the Abloh Family's efforts to broaden access to and prospects for diverse young people who want to pursue creative vocations.
The Virgil Abloh Foundation has also promised to give half of its earnings to Futura's choice of nonprofits with significant social effects. These are the Innocence Project, the Art for Justice Fund, and the Boys & Girls Club of America.
