A-list fashion designer, Virgil Abloh, recently collaborated with Nike for one of the biggest collaborations of the year titled, “TEN ICONS RECONSTRUCTED”. Abloh is Kanye West’s creative director, DJ, and he owns the prestigious fashion brand, Off-White. The collection features ten classic sneakers, reimagined.

The Air Jordan 1, Nike Air Presto, Nike Air Max 90, Nike Air force 1, Nike Air Vapor Max, Hyperdunk, Nike Zoom Vapor Fly, Converse Chuck Taylor, Nike Blazer and Air Max 97 are the shoes Abloh chose to reconstruct.

Many celebrities have been spotted wearing shoes from this collaboration including Drake, Roger Federer, Bella Hadid, Michael Jordan, John Mayer, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Odell Beckham Jr. and Kendrick Lamar.

Technically there are three brands in this collection. Nike, Jordan and Converse. However, it is only a Nike collection because they own Jordan and Converse.

Each shoe features a zip tie, which is easily removable. Adding a zip tie to things is one of Off-White’s favorite things to add. The zip tie can be cut off easily, or it can be kept on. A constant theme to the shoes also includes orange tags, writing on the sole, and the label on the medial side. Abloh loves to put everything in quotes, which is obvious on every pair.

Nike also includes a special shoe box, exclusive tissue and multiple pairs of Off-White branded shoelaces with each pair. This is something they rarely do and it is significant to the people who collect.

When Nike released the collection on their app, SNKRS, very few were able to secure a pair. People were beyond frustrated.

Overall, I love this collection. Nike did a very good job of building up the anticipation towards it. Virgil Abloh managed to keep a consistent theme while making each shoe extremely unique. These shoes will remain a status symbol for a very long time. — Logan Lewis

“We experienced an unprecedented level of demand during the launch of The Ten collection on the SNKRS app today and the shoes sold out in minutes,” Nike said. “We always strive for the best consumer experience and we’ll continue to learn from issues that some consumers faced today to help us continuously improve.”

This collaboration was highly strategic for Nike. Ever since losing their partnership with Kanye West, they have battled Adidas to release the “coolest” sneaker. Adidas had been winning that battle, until now.

Nike opened up a pop-up shop in New York City called the “NIKE OFF CAMPUS”. Here you could buy shirts, hoodies, bags and hats designed by Abloh. There were many panels throughout the event where they discussed this collection and how it came to be. Eric Koston, J.R. Smith, Atiba Jefferson, Odell Beckham Jr., Vince Staples and Andy Caine were some of the guests that contributed to the conversations. 

The most popular shoe out of the collection is the Air Jordan 1. The iconic swoosh is misplaced and looks like it is barely hanging on with a few stitches. The materials on this model are different from the original, adding suede. Finding a pair of these for under one thousand dollars is impossible. Some sizes will even cost you upwards of three thousand dollars.

I think the best pair for a high-school student would be the Air Max 97. It is the most subtle out of the collection and it would look good with most outfits. The Hyperdunk would also be an amazing one for a high school student, but only if they played basketball. The shoe looks good on the court, but not anywhere else.

The one pair I do not like is the Converse Chuck Taylor. I think it is a cool concept, but I could never imagine anyone wearing them. The shoe is completely transparent, with a blue tint on the sole. This pair was delayed due to complications and will not release until 2018.

Overall, I love this collection. Nike did a very good job of building up the anticipation towards it. Virgil Abloh managed to keep a consistent theme while making each shoe extremely unique. These shoes will remain a status symbol for a very long time.

For more reviews, read ‘Reputation’ showcases the deeper, darker side of pop genius. For more articles, check out Haw provides different angle on Executive Order 9066.

This author can be reached via twitter @logan6300 and via email: Logan Lewis.