“AN ARRAY OF AIR,” 2019

Nike × Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh™ shoes on tarp
Private collection

In 2017, Nike enlisted Abloh to redesign 10 of the company’s most famous shoe styles. Abloh used collaged elements, transparent materials, self-referential labels, tabs, and zip ties to emphasize the shoes’ construction, inviting people to take a second look at these iconic sneakers.

This display features unreleased shoes from subsequent collaborations between Off-White and Nike in various stages of prototyping. These objects under construction offer a behind-the-scenes view of Abloh’s design process, which involves working through many concepts and iterations of a project before reaching the final result.

Photos by Nathan Keay, Marvin Leuvrey, and Bogdon Plakov.

Blue untitled prototype, 2018
Black Air Jordan 4 prototype, 2018
Red Air Force 1 prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019 “The Ten”
White Nike Air Jordan 4 unofficial prototype for Off-White, 2013
Black Terra Kiger prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
White Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Yellow Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019.
Yellow Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Black Air Jordan 4 prototype, 2018.
Black Air Force 1 prototype, 2018 “The Ten”
White Air Jordan 1 prototype, 2018 “The Ten”
Black custom Vapor Street prototype, 2017
Yellow Waffle Racer prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Yellow Air Jordan 1 prototype, 2018 “The Ten”
Blue untitled prototype, 2018
White Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Orange Waffle Racer prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Red Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Untitled Gray Prada Nike shoe prototype, 2018
White Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Silver Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Orange Waffle Racer prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Baby Blue Air Force 1 "Chopped and Screwed” prototype, 2018
Black Air Force 1 prototype, 2018 “The Ten”.
Pink Terra Kiger prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Silver Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Volt Yellow Air Force 1 Low prototype, 2018 “The Ten”
Green Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
White Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Volt Yellow Air Force 1 Low prototype, 2018 “The Ten”
Green Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Black Zoom Terra Kiger prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Orange Waffle Racer prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Green Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
White Zoom Terra Kiger prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019.
Blue Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Black Air Force 1 prototype, 2018 “The Ten”
White Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Orange Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
White Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Red Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019.
White Zoom Terra Kiger prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Orange Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019.
Silver Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Red Air Max 90 prototype, 2018 “The Ten”
White Waffle Racer prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019
Black Vapor Street prototype, 2018 Women's Spring/Summer 2019

Related Exhibition