Virgil Abloh: 200 of his "Louis Vuitton x Nike" sneakers have sold for $25 million

Yesterday, a record-breaking Sotheby's auction sold 200 pairs of sneakers from Virgil Abloh-led collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Nike. The proceeds - a total of $25.3 million - will be donated to the foundation of designer Virgil Abloh, who died in November.

"Louis Vuitton x Nike" sneakers: all the info about the auction

Since its introduction in 1982, Nike's Air Force 1 shoe model has remained one of the most popular and iconic sneakers of all time. For Louis Vuitton, Virgil Abloh designed a special version that was launched as part of Louis Vuitton's Spring/Summer 2022 menswear collection. At Sotheby's, these sneakers have now been auctioned off over a period of two weeks - according to the auction house, according to Virgil Abloh's wishes; he was involved in the planning before he died.

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The proceeds from the sneakers, which are limited to 200 pieces, will go to Abloh's own foundation: The Virgil Abloh TM "Post-Modern" Scholarship Fund, in cooperation with the Fashion Scholarship Fund, supports the education of academically promising students of Black, Afro-American or African descent. Overall, sales of the shoes totaled over $25.3 million.

Virgil Abloh x Nike: A multi-year history

Abloh's mix of streetwear and luxury elements made his success as a designer so big. Starting with Off-White x Nike, he has been designing sneakers with Nike for a number of years. In 2017, he introduced the acclaimed "The Ten" project by putting his own design spin on ten existing Nike silhouettes. "For me, these shoes are on a par with the Mona Lisa," said Virgil Abloh about the sneaker icons at the time.

Nike x Louis Vuitton: The Last Collection by Virgil Abloh

The Nike "Air Force 1" in a patchwork design consisting of the LV Mini monogram and the “Damier Azur” checkerboard pattern were one of the highlights of the last Louis Vuitton men's collection. The low-top sneakers were presented in a total of 21 color variants, from green and white to navy, black and gold. Now, since January 26, the shoes have been offered for sale by Sotheby's for the first time. Each pair was sold with a Louis Vuitton flight case, also from the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2022 collection, reimagined in an iconic orange colourway based on an archive model.

By Luke Leitch