Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 Sneakers by Virgil Abloh Fetch Over $350,000 At Auction
The late fashion legend’s 40th anniversary Nike AF1s sold for 23.5 times more than they were originally valued.
While bidding for many limited-edition pairs of Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 sneakers designed by late fashion legend Virgil Abloh easily surpassed expectations, one pair sold for a particularly insane sum.
Of the 200 pairs produced with this design, Lot 1—a size 5—reached the astounding hammer price of $352,800, Hypebeast reports. That’s 23.5 times the top end of their $15,000 pre-auction estimate. The next most-expensive pair—a size 5.5—sold for $176,400.
Building on a legacy that began with the inaugural 1982 silhouette, Abloh created this and 46 other 40th anniversary Nike AF1s before he succumbed to cancer at age 41 on November 28, 2021.
Unveiled at the Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2022 runway show, the luxe kick is constructed entirely of leather and features the fashion house’s monogram and Damier patterns, as well the Abloh’s signature quotation marks.
Each pair was sold with a Louis Vuitton pilot case, which was reinterpreted from the Maison’s archive in an iconic orange colorway and made of Monogram Taurillon Leather, according to Sotheby’s.
All proceeds from their sale benefitted The Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund, which in partnership with the Fashion Scholarship Fund, supports the education of academically promising students of Black, African American, or African descent.
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