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Virgil Abloh’s Off-White and Nike bring the heat

Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh and Nike continue their ongoing “The Ten” collaboration with the two new iterations of the Nike Blazer Mid dubbed the “Spooky Pack.” The pack is inspired by Halloween and features the “All Hallows Eve” colorway with a Pale Vanilla and Canvas colored upper with a large orange Swoosh logo, while the “Grim Reaper” colorway sports a predominately black upper with a white oversized Swoosh. Each pair highlights deconstructed details, typical Off-White branding, and a hanging zip tie. If you step out in these, you are sure to turn heads with these seasonal colors. In case you miss out on this release, a second version of the Off-White Converse Chuck 70 is confirmed to drop on Oct. 8. Following up on the translucent version released by shock drop on converse.com, this one is a more traditional white and comes with black and white stripes along the midsole.

Virgil Abloh is not the type of person to rest on his laurels. Over the summer, he released a tee with Travis Scott featuring the Travis Scott Cactus Jack Jordan 4’s and Off-White Jordan 1 Retro Chicago’s to celebrate the release of Travis Scott’s long-awaited album Astroworld. The latter was only released in a batch of 500 at Abloh’s DJ set in NYC at Sony Hall on Aug. 10. Abloh also worked with Serena Williams on the “Queen” collection, part of Nike’s endeavor to expand its apparel options for women, which included the Off-White Nike Air Max 97 Elemental Rose Serena “Queen,” Off-White Nike Blazer Mid Wolf Grey Serena “Queen,” and a new tennis shoe for women called the NikeCourt Flare 2 PE that debuted in time for the 2018 US Open. There is no shortage of demand for Off-White Nike sneakers, and Virgil Abloh seems set to meet it. You must either be very lucky or have deep industry connections to touch these sneakers. Let’s not forget that Virgil Abloh is now the creative director of menswear for Louis Vuitton, the esteemed luxury fashion house based in Paris. For his inaugural collection for the 2018 fall/winter season, Virgil outdid himself by not rehashing old themes repeated in his other label, Off-White, but showcasing the streetwear aspect of high fashion. While managing two brands (technically Virgil is also in charge of Off-White women’s wear) that hold high expectations from consumers, he has managed to exceed expectations on each shoe.

Off-White has previously collaborated with many brands including Kith, VLONE, Moncler, Levi’s, Heron Preston, Jimmy Choo, Warby Parker, AWGE, Rimowa, fragment design, Timberland, SSENSE, and Byredo, but the ongoing collaboration with Nike has been the most successful in terms of reach and appeal. Lately, Virgil Abloh and his seminal brand Off-White (founded in 2013) appear to have the Midas touch, releasing several popular models from Nike that immediately sold out, including the Off-White Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star, Off-White Air Vapormax in “Black” and “White,” Off-White Nike Zoom Fly Mercurial in “Black” and “Orange,” Off-White Nike Mercurial Vapor 360 (released in time for the 2018 World Cup), Off-White Jordan 1 Retro University Blue (paying homage to the University of North Carolina, Michael Jordan’s alma mater), and Off-White Presto in “Black” and “White.” For all the raffles I entered and the websites I visited, I was not able to obtain a single pair of all the shoes listed above. These are not your ordinary sneakers sitting on shelves at the local footwear store.

There have been leaks of even more models of shoes releasing later: Off-White Nike Zoom Fly in “Black” and “Tulip Pink,” Off-White Air Max 97 in “Black and “Menta,” Off-White Air Max 90 in “University Red” and “Black,” Off-White Air Force 1 in “Black” and “Volt,” and Women’s Waffle Racer in 3 different colorways that will drop as part of Off-White and Nike’s SS19 women’s collection in May 2019. Virgil Abloh recently teased a brand-new running shoe for women called the Off-White Nike Vapor Street as part of the theme for Off-White Women’s SS19 show titled “Track and Field” during Paris Fashion Week. It comes with metal eyelets and track spikes, which means it is probably meant to be a performance shoe. There was also a black Nike Zoom Fly with Off-White details, continuing the saga of “The Ten” collection released last year, and a Women’s Waffle Racer.

Among Abloh’s other ventures, he has been multitasking a lot. As a DJ, he took over the Brooklyn Mirage with Drake for a “Day Party” on Aug. 26. This may not be as surprising as you think since Drake even shouted out Virgil on his Pusha-T diss track “Duppy Freestyle”: “I could never have a Virgil in my circle / And hold him back ‘cause he makes me nervous.” A limited-edition 750 mL Nectar Imperial Rose champagne bottle with typical Off-White details was released by Moët & Chandon, also not surprising considering Moët is owned by LVMH, the same conglomerate for which Virgil now works. There was also a special 3L jeroboam bottle but it was only given to friends and family of Abloh. The bottle was inscribed with “DO NOT DROP” and the bottle case was inscribed with “FOR DISPLAY ONLY,” infused with Abloh’s unique sense of humor. Now, if you’re 21 and over and able to pay $60, you will be able to pop a bottle of champagne designed by Virgil himself.

He hosted a temporary pop-up shop called “STILL LOADING” showcasing his furniture collaboration with Ikea in Paris. Customers were able to purchase one of four rugs, each reading a different phrase (“KEEP OFF,” “GREY,” “BLUE,” and “STILL LOADING”). Prices ranged from approximately $100 to $269, which are relatively affordable considering the clothing produced by Off-White regularly go for around four figures. The Ikea “MARKERAD” (from the Swedish for clear-cut; crisp; pronounced) collection that includes tables, chairs, rugs, mirrors, beds, cabinets, and more will release worldwide at all Ikea stores in late 2019. In addition, Virgil has an upcoming art exhibition with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami called “America Too” at Gagosian Beverly Hills, continuing the series of exhibitions that took place in London and Paris. Even with my workload as a college student, he makes me look lazy. It’s a wonder he is so active in so many disciplines. All his collaborations, upon inspection, are more natural than they might seem at first glance. Abloh’s resume is the ultimate culmination of millennial genius and creativity. I am looking forward to even more phenomenal work by Abloh, the man of the moment.

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