Nike / Off-White Air Jordan 1 "HOMAGE"

Virgil Abloh Archive™ and Jordan Brand release the Air Jordan 1 High OG X V.A.A., a V.A.A. edition of an original design by the late Virgil Abloh (1980–2021). This marks the first global release of a work drawn from the Virgil Abloh Archive™, a collection of over 20,000 objects spanning Virgil's creative practice, with a new release of the historic design partnership between Nike and Virgil Abloh that began in 2017. The Air Jordan 1 was the shoe that inspired Virgil's journey to become a designer. He was drawn to objects that showed how they were made, that wore their construction openly rather than hiding it. When Nike presented the opportunity to re-approach it for The Ten in 2017, he arrived on campus not with a presentation but with a question: where's the airbag? He picked up an X-Acto knife and punctured the sole to find out. "If there is an airbag," he said, "then I'm going to write the word 'AIR' on it." Revealing — to make the hidden visible — became a central pillar of Virgil's early design language. His work spoke to how things were produced, materially and culturally, and through a set of visual motifs. The Air Jordan 1 High OG X V.A.A. features Virgil's signature exposed tongue, orange tab on the Swoosh, and black 'AIR' lettering printed directly over Nike's classic air unit on the midsole. "V.A.A.'s mission is to keep Virgil's ideas alive. The Archive exists not only to preserve Virgil's work, but to share it with great care and intention," said Shannon Abloh, founder and president of the Virgil Abloh Archive™. "Virgil treasured his collaboration with Nike, and the Air Jordan 1 was deeply significant for him. As a teenager, it sparked his dream of becoming a designer, and it was the first pair he designed for Nike. It's an honor to continue this partnership under the banner of V.A.A. for NIKE, advancing Virgil's creative legacy together through exhibitions, publications, cultural programming, and new editions of his iconic designs." - CANARY---YELLOW.COM.