Virgil Abloh has designed two more Off-White x Nike Air VaporMax colourways for 2018. One will come dressed in Black and the other in White. This weekend, Shelflife will be dropping the black colourway.
This 2018 colourway was first leaked last year following the hype of that Nike collaboration known as “The Ten”. A blacked-out Flyknit upper sits above a translucent midsole. Virgil Abloh once again proves himself to be a force in the world of sneaker design. Most of the signature details seen on last year’s Vapormax come stamped to this rendition. That includes “AIR”print along the heel as well as a stitched Swoosh. Subtle hits of orange provide the only contrast to that dark upper.
The Off-White Vapormax ‘Black’ features in the same deconstructed style complete with a chunky, foam padded tongue. This classic Off-White aesthetic is contrasted perfectly by the addition of a crystal clear Vapormax Unit underfoot. Nike’s most ground-breaking innovation promises the best in support underfoot.
The Off-White x Nike Air VaporMax Black will drop on Saturday the 31st of March via live raffle at 9h30am in our CPT & JHB store along with an online raffle from our online store. Please see below for more info.
OFF WHITE’s, Virgil Abloh, will be continuing his collaboration with Nike into the coming year. Two Nike Air VaporMax colorways will have the honor of being reconstructed with his signature style, again. This white one and a black one are said to release in 2018. Both will have a retail price of $129.99 like their 2017 counterpart.
Its features will include Flyknit upper and the classic VaporMax sole. There will be OFF WHITE “AIR” branding on the heel and on the inner lateral section. Of course, not without the signature orange tab embroidered on the Nike Swoosh and the infamous zip-tie.
Side note: If you’ve ever wondered what to do with the zip-tie, you’re not alone. We don’t have a freaking clue! But according to Artemisyeezy, you’re supposed to cut it off and leave it alone. But then again you paid for it. And it looks pretty cool. So you can simply leave it there and flaunt your branded sneakers. We’ve actually seen people rocking that zip-tie on their Nikes without looking ridiculous.
“The Ten” 2018?
This will be one of many shoes the genius Virgil Abloh has worked on with Nike. In 2017, Abloh collaborated with Nike to recreate 10 classic Nike shoe models in a collection called “The Ten”. There’s a rumor that a second “The Ten” collection will release in 2018. Is this OFF WHITE x Nike VaporMax going to be part of the second installment of “The Ten”? Well, we think so! That means we can expect to see more leaks of shoes by Abloh and Nike soon. Doesn’t this excite any of you?!
Pairs from the OFF WHITE x Nike collaboration were so difficult to get a hold of when they released on Nike online. Today, on StockX, the Air VaporMax Off-White from “The Ten” is sold for around $135.99, it makes resellers over 200% of its retail value.
Another OFF WHITE collab that will drop in 2018 is the Virgil Abloh x Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star. In November, “The Ten” turned into The Nine, when theConverse didn’t show up in the drop due to production issues. However, it will hopefully release early 2018. Who else is looking forward to these sneakers?
Nike’s collaboration with Off-White is no stranger in the streetwear, even to commoners. ‘The Ten’ collection definitely changed the landscape of the sneaker scene, making Nike the preferred brand after the recent Adidas Boost madness. The demand for Nike’s collaboration with Off-White is so overwhelming such that the manufacturers in China have developed fakes which are so close to the authentic pairs, causing many sneakerheads and commoners to fall into scams by resellers who are looking to make quick cash.
Today, we will be sharing with you what to look out for when it comes to legit checking one of the most coveted pairs in ‘The Ten’ collection, the Air Jordan 1 x Off-White.
Wings Logo
Based on the photo below, you should look out for the consistency of the font and the glossiness of the ‘AIR JORDAN’. The retail pair has a more consistent font size and has a cleaner print with a matte finish while the fakes have a glossy finishing. Another part to look out is the wings itself, where the retail pair is equally distributed and does not combine each other, while on the fakes, some of the wings are attached to each other (check 1, 2, 3 and 4 from photo 2). The perforations on the flap of the retail pair is nicely punctured while the fakes only have perforations that are half done (sort of).
“AIR” Logo
For this part, the “AIR” branding on the retail pair has a matte finish and is placed right in the middle between the stitching on the midsole and the outsole, while the fakes have a glossy finish to the “AIR” branding and are placed nearer to the outsole.
“USA” Text
The “USA” text on the inner side of the retail pair has a matte finishing and does not have a clean print and if you are wondering what are we talking about, the font looks like it’s slightly smudged upwards. The fakes have a glossy finishing on the “USA” text and are printed more consistently compared to the authentic pair.
“85” Flap
If you guys have not realized, there is an “85” branding behind the side flaps. This part is crucial as this is often used to determine whether the pair is authentic or not. As you may observe from photo 5 and photo 6, the font is different from the real pair and the fake pair. Another thing you should take note of is the indented shape of the Wings logo as you may observe in photo 7. The indented shape can almost be considered a dead giveaway as it is a clear mark that separates the authentic and fake pairs.
Back Section
For the real pairs, you may observe the symmetrical aesthetics and texture of the material used which differs from the fake pair which does not have a particular pattern.
Placement Of Swoosh
Based on photo 9, you may observe that the real pair’s Swoosh does not exceed the stitching as pointed in the photo. The Swoosh on the real pair has an observable distance from the midsole compared to the fake as seen in photo 10. However, even some retail pairs are inconsistent when it comes to the length and placement of the Swoosh which makes this method an unreliable method, but is still helpful as a pointer.
Insoles
This would be easier to spot as the real pair has a cream tint to its insoles, while the fake insoles have a blue tint to it. The grooves on the real pair’s insole have a more prominent, distinct pyramidical shape compared to the fake pair’s insoles that have inconsistent grooves with non-distinct shapes.
Hang Tags
This is an easy way to detect a fake which is through the pair’s hangtag. The real pair’s hangtag has a darker red shade while the fake has an orange shade hangtag. The fake pair’s hangtag has a bigger circumference compared to the real one as seen in photo 13.
Fresh off the back of some of 2017’s most hyped sneakers, Virgil Abloh continues to grow on “The Ten” collection alongside Nike. Possibly the hottest release of 2018, Michael Jordan’s first signature shoe is envisioned through the creative eyes of the Off-White designer.
Continuing in the deconstructed theme, premium leather overlays sit across a mesh crafted upper, with a sewn-on Swoosh sat at the sidewall. Revealed at Paris Fashion Week with a new ‘White’ look, patches of orange and blue threading are the only signs of colour – complemented to perfection with a blue hang tag and the signature “AIR” branding on the midsole.
It’s a name that feels like it should come with its own drum beat, “The 10: Nike Air Presto.” Virgil Abloh has proven to be an unstoppable source of hype for anything he sets his sights on. But, what happens when he decides to grace one of the most recognizable shoes ever?
The result is this recent iteration of the Nike Air Presto, now with a white colorway. Think about it for a second. The Air Presto has been a major piece of every Nike OG’s collection for a very long time now.
From its background to its more modern reputation, this isn’t exactly a so-so piece of footwear. So, as you can imagine, having the Off-White stamp of approval would only intensify this beyond recognition.
Well, most of us know this isn’t the first time the Presto has been a Virgil Abloh muse. The first time around, it was in a serene and deconstructed Black colorway. Here, its more recent edition debuts in a more muted white base.
Nonetheless, all of the Off-White trappings are still aplenty. The shoe still shows its guts a bit, boasting proudly everything that usually sits within the shoe. Never one to be sneaky about things, Abloh’s signature red zip-tie is very evident.
If nothing else, this most recent White iteration differs from its predecessor by being split into less visual parts. The first time we saw Off-White’s vision of the Presto, it came across as a canvas of deconstruction. Every little element seemed independent of the rest of the shoe – even though the design was fluent and uniform.
This White look, on the other hand, divides the visual here into two things: the shoe’s overall tone and the bold Red zip-tie. Though there’s plenty to take in from this shoe in its several finer details, the eye can’t help but pick on those two features.
Good luck getting these if you happen to miss the retail drop. Resell prices are going to make you wonder about life choices!
December 14, 2016 will go down as a black stain in the history books. To borrow a line from my man Franklin Delano Roosevelt – the undisputed GOAT of American presidents (my personal opinion of course, but I will not listen to anyone that argues the contrary) – it is “a day which will live in infamy,” not because Pearl Harbor has been attacked again, but because it marks the reissuing of the Nike Air Max 97.
This should never have been allowed to happen. Not because I have anything against the AM97 – quite the contrary, it is, alongside the Air Max 1, my favorite Nike shoe ever, and a number of my colleagues here at Highsnobiety share that sentiment. This could probably be scaled up to the wider sneakerhead community at large, and with good reason: it’s a truly great shoe. But still, it’s one that shouldn’t have been reissued.
I have a sneaking suspicions that everybody reading this will disagree with me and aim some really derogatory comments my way, so let me explain my reasoning.
It’s easy to see why the Air Max 97 is so adored: it’s an incredible piece of design, one that takes its inspiration from high-speed Japanese bullet trains. As a design school graduate myself, I was taught that this sort of outward-looking conceptualism is an essential component to truly iconic designs, and this might explain, in part, some of the sneaker’s relentless appeal.
Not only that, but the 97 is also utterly unique to the rest of the Air Max range, completely unlike the models thatpreceded it. Sure, it may be rooted in the 95, but an incredible amount of imagination has been invested into its design, and there’s nothing that feels lazy or imitative about it.
Putting over-intellectualized navel-gazing aside here for a second, it’s simply a good looking piece of footwear – much better than the recentSupreme x NikeLab Air Max 98, which is far too chunky and overly reminiscent of late ’90s skate shoes for my tastes. That’s even before you take into account Supreme’s additions of faux snakeskin and patent leather, materials too closely associated to budget stripper attire for most people’s comfort.
The Air Max 97 may look immeasurably better than what Supreme and Nike recently offered us, but that still doesn’t justify a reissue, in my opinion.
It may not be a popular stance, but it’s one that I genuinely believe in. I’d love to own a pair of AM97s myself, but ignoring its aesthetic value, the main thing that I find so enchanting about the silhouette is how perfectly it reflects the era in which it was made.
Late ’90s futurism seeps from every stitch, and its metallic finish is so similar to other great designs of the era, likeSony’s MZ-E900minidisc player. They look like they were made for one another, to match harmoniously as part of a single streamlined outfit. And this isn’t some mere coincidence, rather, it’s snapshot of a wider consciousness of the time, one that manifested itself physically in the products of that particular moment in history.
In the tail end of the ’90s people were obsessed with the future. They stood in the twilight of a century and at the dawn of a new millennium. The Y2K bug and potential electronic meltdown loomed large in the collective hive mind, breeding doomsday scenarios that were realistically a manifestation of a collective fear of the unknown, one that permeated a civilization teetering on the precipice of time.
We were entering the 2000s. Phonetically, simply reciting the date and pronouncing the word “thousand” simply felt so much weightier and more significant than plain old nineteen-ninety-whatever. It also signified a clear split from the past.
Futuristic cartoons and movies throughout the latter half of the 20th century were always inevitably set in the year two-thousand-and-something: The Jetsons live in 2062,Back to the Future IItakes place in 2015, Stanley Kubrick’sSpace Odysseyin 2001. It was the era ofFuturama,The Matrix, andTerminator 2: Judgement Day. The internet was proliferating and cell phones were accessible, music was going digital and flying cars surely weren’t far off.
All of this influenced and manifests itself in the Air Max 97’s design. The silver colorway, which mimics the appearance of metal, looks like a piece of futuristic tech. Similarly, many of Sony’s (another major influence on the dominant aesthetic of the period)productswere constructed from plastics with shiny, metal-like finishes imitativeof steel.
Futurism, when we look back at it from the actual future always looks so dated, and there’s something endearingly cliched about these designs – they look so predictably space age from where we stand now, and so unlike what the aesthetic of the future (our present) actually ended up looking like. And this is exactly why we should leave the ’97 fossilized in the late ’90s where it belongs.
Sure, I understand the appeal of vintage clothing and fashion revivalism but rarely is a piece of design so thoroughly thought through and so synchronized with its own particular moment in time. Obviously this is a huge part of the AM97’sappeal, but it’s also why it should remain sacred. I’m all for hunting down deadstock on eBay, but a reissue would cheapen it, and as we all know, exclusivity is such a huge part of a sneaker’s appeal.
I think that instead of looking backwards, we should look forwards and ask ourselves why is it that Tinker Hatfield’s recent Air Max designs pale in comparison to the 97?Last year’s iterationwas completely forgettable, and I’ve never seen it worn by anyone with a shred of dress sense.
Instead of hoping for a reissue, we should expect and demand a modern Air Max icon, one that’s as conceptually and aesthetically complete as the ’97, one that embodies the contemporary zeitgeist as much as the ’97 reflects its own – our very own classic that future generations will lust after.
The views and opinions expressed in this piece are those solely of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of Artemisyeezy as a whole.
The Nike Air Max 97 continues to celebrate it’s 20th Anniversary and now will debut in a clean yet luxurious theme. Shown is the Nike Air Max 97 ‘WhiteSnakeskin’ which will be dropping on Thursday the 29th of June 2017.
The Nike Air Max 97 WhiteSnakeskin comes in an off-White upper constructed out of synthetic python textures on the mudguard. Opting to keep some of its OG features, the shoe still comes with reflective 3M piping on the tongue and side panels. The tonal look of the shoe extends down to the branding, sole unit and laces.
The Nike Air Max 97 White Snakeskin will drop in our CPT & JHB store for the retail price of ：$119.99 Sizes: UK4,UK4.5,UK5,UK5.5,UK6, UK7, UK8, UK9, UK10, UK10.5
Showing no signs of slowing down, Virgil Abloh's Off-White x Nike wave will continue into the fall, when this new take on the Air Max 97 is set to make its way to retail.
Dubbed "Menta," the runner sports a mostly grey synthetic and mesh upper, highlighted by multicolor Swoosh branding and the familiar Off-White markings. Below sits grey full-length Max Air tooling and a translucent outsole.
UPDATE (10/17): Following news of the "Black/Cone" Off-White x Nike Air Max 97releasing this week, there is also some new information on the upcoming "Menta" colorway. As it appears right now, the grey pair with a multicolored Swoosh will be a European exclusive releasing on the Oct. 18 as well. There is currently no word on if the pair will receive a stateside release at a later date.
Off-White x Nike Air Max 97 "Menta"
Release Date: 11/10/18
Color: Off-White/Wolf Grey-White-Menta
Style #: AJ4585-101
Price: $109.99
The upcoming Off-White x Nike Blazer “Spooky Pack” is releasing just in time to serve as a reminder that the Fall season isn’t just about Olive and Flax releases. With almost clockwork precision, the start of October signals the oncoming storm of specific Autumn-themed drops. Nike, along with plenty of other brands, is already starting to roll out Fall inspired versions of some of their most recognizable models.
Here, we see a slight flip on that. After all, this part of the year is about more than the leaves changing colors. It’s also about Halloween! Celebrating the occasion is this special pack from Off-White and Nike.
Nike’s Blazer Mid takes on more of the deconstruction that Off-White’s Virgil Abloh has been so fond of. The shoe’s upper elements are flipped inside out to show what they’re made of. The result is a base that appears synthetic as opposed to its usual Canvas construction.
All of the other usual suspects from Nike x Off-White releases are here as well. The tongue is flipped and is given a more robust look thanks in part to its stitch details. The oversize lateral Swoosh branding stands out almost as though it’s separate from the rest of the shoe.
And then, we wouldn’t be able to consider this a true product of this particular collaboration without that signature zip tie. Perhaps just as essential is that recognizable script, just above that Swoosh.
The Blazer Mid model is seeping in Nike’s rich basketball heritage. It’s one of the first shoes that managed to find widespread appeal in the sport. The Blazerwas also quickly part of a footwear war on the hardwood that was just beginning to brew as it challenged alternatives such as Converse’s Chuck Taylor All-Star.
Available in a creamy Orange iteration as well as a haunting Black look, check out the latest Blazer Mid from Virgil’s The Ten when it drops on October 3rd.
