The 200 pairs of Vuitton-Nike sneakers designed by Virgil Abloh before his death auctioned by Sotheby’s on the internet reached 25 million dollars, the auction house announced on Wednesday. These figures far exceed Sotheby’s estimates, which expected each pair of the “Air Force 1” model, which went on sale for $2,000, to fetch between $5,000 and $15,000. The average price reached $100,000, although the most expensive pair rose to $352,800 and the cheapest to $75,600.
The 200 identical pairs of this model, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, bear the famous Louis Vuitton checks, owned by LVMH, in brown, white and cream, and the Nike comma have been on sale since January 26. The end of the sale was scheduled for Tuesday but due to the number of bids it was extended by one day.
The sneakers were unveiled in June 2021, for Louis Vuitton’s spring summer 2022 collection, for which luxury streetwear king Virgil Abloh was artistic director of the menswear line.
Died last November
The designer, DJ, hip-hop fan and former adviser to rapper Kanye West passed away in late November at the age of 41 from cancer.
His latest collection for Vuitton was presented in Paris on January 20 during the men’s prêt-à-porter week. Each pair includes a kind of small Pilote orange suitcase box. For years, sneakers have become cult items for collectors.
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To try to expand their clientele, the big luxury brands have started to create collections in association with sports or streetwear brands.
Sotheby’s, Louis Vuitton and Nike all said Virgil Abloh had been involved in arranging the sale before his death. The benefits of the same will go to the “Virgil Abloh Post-Modern Scholarship Fund”, a scholarship for the training of students of African American and African origin.