BTS Look at the Making of Virgil Abloh's Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1s

Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 White BTS
Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 White BTS
Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 White BTS
Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 White BTS
Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 White BTS
Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 White BTS
Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 White BTS
Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 White BTS
Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 White BTS
Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 White BTS

After debuting via a Sotheby's auction that fetched over $25 million in sales, the Virgil Abloh-designed Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 is set to see a full rollout later this year. The collection is nothing short of vast, consisting of 47 takes in total on the Air Force 1 Low and Air Force 1 Mid – and, with Abloh's tragic passing last November, it's become a swan song of sorts, his final (and arguably most masterful) blending of classic sportswear and street style with high-end fashion.

Ahead of the collection's rollout, Louis Vuitton has pulled back the curtain around their footwear atelier in Italy to give us a look at exactly how the shoes were made. Every step of the progress is handled by the brand's master craftsman and cobblers, from hand-sanding the last to cutting the Swooshes, stitching the midsole and touching up the toeboxes.

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Out of the 47 iterations mentioned above, Louis Vuitton and Nike will release nine this June: seven low-tops and two mid-tops. A duo of colourful styles will pay homage to Virgil Abloh's famous rainbow pattern, and another style will feature metallic gold leather for a nod to his SS19 LV debut collection. There's also a graffiti-adorned pair created in partnership with artist Ghusto Leone and a patchwork pair. The most simple of the bunch are the white leather pair pictured above and a black suede iteration. Lows will be priced at €2000 and Mids at €2500, roughly $2106 and $2632 in US dollars.

Louis Vuitton will also display all 47 styles from the collection at an immersive exhibit in Brooklyn from May 20-31. We'll be there on the ground, giving you an inside look!

For a trip down memory lane, check out our Virgil Abloh cover story from Issue #44, in which he discusses entering a SF colouring contest as a child, his thoughts on footwear design and much more.

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