Louis Vuitton & Nike “Air Force 1” | Launch & Exhibition in NYC

Louis Vuitton celebrates the release of the Louis Vuitton and Nike ”Air Force 1” designed by Virgil Abloh. June 2022 sees nine iterations of the Spring-Summer 2022 shoe launch via a digital activation. Prior to this, members of the Maison’s community will receive an exclusive opportunity to pre-order the sneakers. 

Virgil’s designs are rooted in the Amen Break, a drum break of a B-side courtesy of The Winstons in 1969. On his inspiration, Alboh said, “The ”Air Force 1” is a sample like the Amen Break. A t-shirt is an ‘Amen Break’, a suit is an ‘Amen Break’. We’re all iterating on the same ideas. But, in my canon, the ”Air Force 1” puts the edge on the blade. This object happened way before me, but to get to a context where it’s adjacent to the t-shirt and the suit, its logic has been forty years in the making.”

From May 20-31, all fourty-seven of Abloh’s bespoke pieces will be exhibited in the New York City showcase, Louis Vuitton and Nike “Air Force 1” by Virgil Abloh, at Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse. In keeping with Abloh’s boundary-pushing approach, the exhibition urges audiences to follow his vision in imagining a world beyond constraints. Art exhibitions throughout the city are set to complement this debut. These are on view at Domino Park, Grand Central, South Street Seaport, Astor Place, Columbus Circle, Flatiron Plaza and Gansevoort Plaza.

The House also shares a behind the scenes glimpse into the making of the shoes in the Maison’s Manufacture in Fiesso d’Artico, Venice, Italy, below: