19.01.2022
Very few would readily admit this in public: Louis Vuitton’s spring-summer 2022 digital presentation of its menswear show, titled Amen Break, might go down as one of the most iconic of all time. The late Virgil Abloh delivered cinematic visual poetry via high fashion, culture, music, dance, martial arts, and an engaging revenge plot. It was as close to fashion’s take on Tarantino’s Kill Bill franchise and then some. But it was also during this occasion, last June, that a breakthrough moment happened in culture, one that Abloh might have described as having a sweet spot in every boyhood dream. On the feet of the Louis Vuitton models were Air Force 1 sneakers, in a variety of colourways, and embellished with all the call signs of Nike and Louis Vuitton along with the influential touches of Abloh that were previously seen on hugely successful Nike silhouettes with the Off-White label. Top quality leather were matched with LV monograms on the upper, custom shoe tags, quotation marked words printed on the heels and shoelaces, and even a joint logo between the houses, just to name a few. This partnership on the cult sneaker silhouette wasn’t a random pick either. 2022 marks the 40th anniversary of these shoes, which were originally designed for street and pro basketball, of which the NBA is also a long-term partner with the Parisian fashion house. How and where to cop these? Well, there’s an update: Sotheby’s will be auctioning 200 pairs of these sneakers of which the proceeds will go to Abloh’s “Post Modern” Scholarship Fund that will aid Black fashion students. The online auction will take place from January 26 to February 8 with starting bids said to be in the region of US$2,000. Time to recalibrate your sneaker shopping budget.
