Rare Nike Louis Vuitton x Virgil Abloh Sneakers Sell For Over 20X Expected Price
In January, it was announced that 200 pairs of Louis Vuitton and Nike Air Force 1 sneakers, designed by the late Virgil Abloh, would go under the hammer at Sotheby’s to raise proceeds for the late designer’s scholarship fund.
The auction recently came to a close, with the highest-priced size five pair of kicks fetching a staggering US$352,800 on its own—23.5 times higher than the original estimate.
According to Hypebeast, more than 150 pairs of the sneakers sold for over US$100,000.
Input noted that the incredible bids for this auction could be a new indicator for the sneaker market, as historically, kicks for such high prices were often vintage pairs worn by famous athletes.
In April 2021, only eight pairs of shoes had ever sold for more than six figures, whereas with the conclusion of this sale, 150 more pairs have been added to the once-sparse list.
However, it is possible that the collection brought in whopping bids due to a mix of factors, being the luxury fashion house’s first collaboration with Nike, and the unexpected passing of Virgil Abloh making his designs all the more valuable.
If you weren’t able to get your hands on a pair, fret not. Abloh had created 47 different designs of the shoes, with some slated to be released at a later date.
Louis Vuitton will eventually gather all of the iterations to be displayed together at an exhibition.
