Taschen Virgil Abloh. Nike. ICONS

Just Do It!

In 2016, sportswear giant Nike and renowned fashion designer Virgil Abloh embarked on a collaboration to rejuvenate ten of Nike's most iconic sneaker designs. Their project, 'The Ten', breathes new life into classics such as the Air Jordan 1, Air Max 90, Air Force 1 and Air Presto. Virgil Abloh's innovative designs delve deep into the realms of technical prowess while exuding cultural significance. Using the essence of each original shoe, Abloh employs techniques such as lettering, ironic labelling, collage and sculpture to create new narratives. Drawing inspiration from Dadaism, architectural theory and avant-garde movements, he dissects the iconic qualities of each shoe, transforming them simultaneously into pieces of industrial design, ready-made sculptures and wearable art.

Within the pages of the book, readers are offered a glimpse into Abloh's creative process through documentation of prototypes, original text exchanges between Abloh and Nike designers, and treasures from the Nike archives. From swooshes ingeniously reattached to Air Jordans with tape or thread, to Abloh's signature text fragments adorning Air Force 1s and intricately dissected All Stars, the book reveals Abloh's hands-on approach to ensuring each model in the Off-WhiteTM c/o Nike collection retains its distinct identity. The book also highlights Abloh's collaborative ethos and underscores the enduring power of print. Created in partnership with the esteemed London-based studio Zak Group, the book is divided into two parts - a visual journey through sneaker culture and a lexicon defining the key elements that shaped the project. Accompanying texts by Nike's Nicholas Schonberger, writer Troy Patterson, curator and historian Glenn Adamson, and Virgil Abloh himself contextualise the book.