Sotheby's to auction off 200 pairs of trainers designed by the late Virgil Abloh, a collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Nike.
Proceeds from the “The Louis Vuitton and Nike Air Force One by Virgil Abloh” auction in New York will benefit the Virgil Abloh “Post Modern” Scholarship Fund set up by the menswear creative director - who died, aged 41, in November after being diagnosed with cancer - to support Black students and students with African heritage.
The sale - which features 200 shoes and will run from January 26 to February 9 on the auction house’s website - will be the first drop of sneakers designed by Virgil -for the brand's Spring/Summer 2022 collection.
The shoes - with opening bids starting at R30 000 and sizes ranging from 5 to 18 - have been on display to the public at the auctioneer’s Manhattan galleries since 19 January.
They feature the French fashion house’s iconic monogram and damier patterns along with the LVMH Award finalist’s trademark quotation marks.
Virgil - who was named one Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2018 - began his career training as an architect before working in fashion and the music industry, famously collaborating with his good friend Kanye West on projects including 2011’s “Watch The Throne” and 2021’s “Donda”.
After hearing about the 2019 Menswear Designer of the Year nominee’s passing, the 44-year-old rapper posted a choir at a singing reworked edition of Adele’s ‘Easy on Me’ on his Instagram.
They sang: “I know your love flows like a river, And I could wash myself in it forever, I know there is hope in these waters, But I can’t bring myself to swim, When I am drowning in my sin.”
In the post’s caption, he wrote: "IN LOVING MEMORY OF VIRGIL ABLOH, THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF DONDA.”