Explore the Off-White universe
Nike x Off-White: the collaboration between Nike and Virgil Abloh
The Nike x Off-White collaboration was born from the meeting of Nike's sporting heritage and the design language of Virgil Abloh, founder of Off-White.
Abloh starts with already well-known silhouettes and makes their structure and construction process visible: stitching, exposed foam, translucent materials, industrial lettering, and seemingly unfinished components all become an integral part of the design.
This approach has transformed models from very different worlds, from the Nike Dunk Low to the Air Force 1, including the Air Max, Blazer, and some of the most important silhouettes from Jordan Brand.
The Ten: the beginning of Nike x Off-White
In 2017, Nike and Virgil Abloh presented The Ten, a project built around the reinterpretation of ten silhouettes belonging to the Nike, Jordan, and Converse archives.
The collection is divided into two groups, Revealing and Ghosting.
Revealing includes the Air Jordan 1, Air Max 90, Air Presto, Air VaporMax, and Blazer Mid, reinterpreted through deliberately open and deconstructed constructions.
Ghosting, on the other hand, uses translucent materials and includes the Air Force 1 Low, Air Max 97, Zoom Fly SP, React Hyperdunk 2017, and Converse Chuck Taylor.
The Ten defines much of the language that would immediately become associated with Off-White sneakers: seemingly industrial details, text in quotation marks, exposed foam, modified Swooshes, and the characteristic zip-tie.
Nike itself describes The Ten as a reconstruction of ten icons of its own footwear, developed by Virgil Abloh and divided into the two themes of Revealing and Ghosting.
Nike Dunk Low Off-White and The 50
The Nike Dunk Low subsequently became one of the most important foundations of the collaboration.
In 2021, the The 50 project was added to the first colorways developed by Virgil Abloh, consisting of numerous interpretations of the Dunk Low identified by different Lots.
The construction maintains a common base but changes through additional laces, tongues, materials, colors, and details applied to each version.
Lot 1 and Lot 50 stand out the most from the rest of the series, while the numerous intermediate variants create one of the most extensive projects ever developed around the Dunk.
Distribution took place primarily through Exclusive Access on SNKRS, with members assigned one of the various Lots available.
Nike Air Force 1 Off-White
The Nike Air Force 1 occupies a central role in the history of the relationship between Virgil Abloh and Nike.
A Triple Black Air Force 1 Low was actually among the first models that Abloh began to modify during the initial phases of the project that would eventually lead to The Ten.
Over time, the collaboration has produced very different Air Force 1s, from the versions linked to The Ten to releases like the MoMA, MCA University Blue, ICA University Gold, Brooklyn, ComplexCon, and other collectible colorways.
In addition to the Lows, there are also the Off-White Air Force 1 Mids, through which Virgil Abloh's language is applied to different proportions and constructions of the same AF1 family.
Air Jordan x Off-White
Virgil Abloh also reinterpreted some of the most important silhouettes of Jordan Brand.
The Air Jordan 1 immediately entered the Off-White universe through The Ten and became one of the most recognizable sneakers of the entire collaboration, especially in the Chicago, White, and University Blue versions.
Other Jordan interpretations followed over the years, including the Air Jordan 4 Sail, Air Jordan 5, and Air Jordan 2 Low.
The principle remains consistent with the language developed by Abloh: modified materials, visible construction elements, technical branding, and details that show the sneaker almost as an object still in the design phase.
Nike has continued to officially present Jordan x Off-White collaborations as part of Virgil Abloh's work on the culture and history of Jordan Brand.
Air Max, Blazer, Presto, and VaporMax Off-White
The Nike x Off-White project does not focus on a single sneaker family.
The Nike Air Max are involved through silhouettes like the Air Max 90 and Air Max 97, while the VaporMax brings the collaboration's deconstructed language to one of the most modern interpretations of Air cushioning.
The Nike Blazer is instead reinterpreted both in the Mid configuration and through subsequent Blazer Lows, maintaining elements typical of the Off-White language such as overlapping panels, contrasting materials, and deliberately emphasized components.
The Air Presto, Zoom Fly, and other silhouettes complete a catalog in which Virgil Abloh was able to work on models from basketball, running, and lifestyle without simply applying the same formula to every shoe.
The design of Nike Off-White
Although the silhouettes can be very different, many Nike x Off-White sneakers share a recognizable visual language.
Technical lettering, text in quotation marks, evident stitching, exposed foam, and translucent materials recall the industrial process by which a sneaker is designed and assembled.
The famous zip-tie has become one of the symbols most immediately associated with the project, but the identity of the collaboration stems above all from the idea of taking elements that are normally hidden or purely functional and transforming them into a visible part of the design.
It is this approach that allows very different models like the Dunk, Air Force 1, Air Jordan, Air Max, and Blazer to maintain their own identity while at the same time being immediately recognizable as part of the Off-White universe.
Original Nike x Off-White and collectible sneakers
Many Nike x Off-White sneakers were distributed through limited releases and are no longer available in the normal retail circuit today.
Availability and value can change significantly based on the silhouette, the colorway, the release period, and the rarity of the individual version.
In the case of particularly sought-after sneakers, authenticity therefore assumes a central role. Products sold by ResellZone as original are subjected to the checks provided for by the verification process, which is explained in detail on the page dedicated to product authenticity.
For those looking for pre-owned releases, a selection of pre-owned Off-White sneakers is also available.