Only 47 individual models were made of the upcoming Louis Vuitton X Nike Air Force 1s by Virgil Abloh, they aren’t available to the public yet and only a handful have been sold to VIP clients yet listings have appeared on sites like StockX at an extortionate price.
The Air Force 1 was originally designed by Nike in 1982 and the Louis Vuitton (LV) collaborations are the very first time the Air Force 1 hasn’t been crafted in a Nike factory.
LV Men’s Artistic Director, Virgil Abloh (1980-2021) saw the Air Force 1 as a cultural symbol and the two icons – Virgil and the Air Force 1, had teamed up to produce the most authentic high-end trainer ever.
For Spring/Summer 2022, Virgil Abloh preplanned a collaboration between LV and Nike, which is when he created 47 bespoke Air Force 1 editions. Each design was expertly made, combining the trainers classic codes with unique designed and materials such as leather, crocodile, faux fur and more.
As you can imagine, a certain level of craftmanship and detail goes into making the most authentic high-end trainers ever.
Patterns were cut from luxury materials then organised and readied for construction. The materials are threaded together by both hand and machine sewing, then the final touches are laced together, double checked, buffed and shined.
Retail price for the LV Air Force 1’s ranges from £1,600 – £2,500. This is a much higher price than the average price of Air Force 1‘s (£100), but considering its one of Abloh’s final projects, they’re priceless.
After unboxing videos were posted online, it’s safe to say that the lucky VIP clients have now received their sets of the exclusive trainers and as evidenced by listing on StockX and eBay, they’re wasting no time in flipping them for a profit.
StockX and eBay sellers are listing the trainers for no lower than £10,000 and as high as £200,000. Considering the exclusivity and luxury feel to one of LV‘s final Abloh-designed drops, there’s no surprise they’re already hitting the resale market.
While I personally don’t blame anyone for wanting to make a little £200,000 profit, it still doesn’t exactly sit right with me that some customers are buying Abloh’s posthumous release with their only intentions being to resell them.
Abloh was all about supplying released to all of his fans and reselling the shoes at these prices makes them inaccessible to a huge portion of Abloh’s core fan base: young streetwear enthusiasts. However, LV has always being a luxury brand and luxury will almost always come at a cost.
If you were lucky enough to snag a pair of LV x Nike Air Force 1s, would you look to resell them or keep them to cherish (and probably never wear them outside)?
No official date has been confirmed, but we’re expecting the Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1s by Virgil Abloh to release to the public later this month.
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