In 2016, sportswear manufacturerĀ NikeĀ and fashion designerĀ Virgil Abloh joined forcesĀ to create a sneaker collectionĀ celebrating 10 of the Oregon-based companyās most iconic shoes. With their project The Tenāwhich reimagines icons likeĀ Air Jordan 1,Ā Air Max 90,Ā Air Force 1, andĀ Air Presto, among othersātheyĀ reinvigorated sneaker culture.
Virgil Ablohās new designs offerĀ deep insights into engineering ingenuityĀ and burst with cultural cachet. Drawing on the genius of the original shoe using lettering, ironic labels, collage, and sculpting techniques, Abloh plays with language and sculptural elements to construct new meaning. Inspired by the wit of Dadaism, architectural theory, and avant-garde happenings, he analyzes what makes each shoe iconic and deconstructs it into anĀ artistic assemblage, makingĀ each shoe into a piece of industrial design, a readymade sculpture, and a wearable all at once.
IconsĀ traces Ablohās investigative, creative process through documentation of theĀ prototypes,Ā original text messagesĀ from Abloh to Nike designers, andĀ treasures from the Nike archives. We find Swooshes sliced away from Air Jordans and reapplied with tape or thread, Ablohās typical text fragments in quotation marks on Air Force 1, and All Stars cut into pieces. We take aĀ look behind the scenesĀ and witness Ablohās DIY approach, which gives each model in theĀ Off-WhiteTMĀ c/o Nike collectionĀ its own unique touch.
The book documents Ablohās cooperative way of working and reaffirms the power of print. For its design Nike and Abloh partnered with the acclaimedĀ London-based design studio Zak Group. Together they conceived a two-part compendium, equal parts catalog and conceptual toolbox. The first part of the book presents aĀ visual culture of sneakersĀ while a lexicon in the second part defines theĀ key people, places, objects, ideas, materials, and scenes from which the project grew. Texts by NikeāsĀ Nicholas Schonberger, writerĀ Troy Patterson, curator and historianĀ Glenn Adamson, andĀ Virgil AblohĀ himself frame the collaborative work within fashion and design history. A foreword byĀ Hiroshi FujiwaraĀ places the project within the historical continuum of Nike collaborators.
Virgil Abloh. Nike. ICONS
- Hardcover
- Swiss binding
- 10 x 11.7 in.
- 5.12 lb
- 352 pages
- ISBN 978-3-8365-8509-5























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