EXCLUSIVE: THE 'TEN ICONS RECONSTRUCTED' PROJECT BY OFF-WHITE™ X NIKE INC.

With “Ten Icons Reconstructed,” Nike and Off-White’s Virgil Abloh have written a new chapter in the story of icons revisited. Setting the craze ablaze are 10 super successful Nike sneakers that Abloh has reconstructed with his edgy fashion touch that draws from the world of architecture. The shoes are divided into two themes. The first, “REVEALING” includes the Air Jordan I, Nike Air Max 90, Nike Air Presto, Nike Air VaporMax and Nike Blazer Mid, designed to bare all as in taken apart and reconstructed. The second is “GHOSTING” featuring translucent uppers that stand for the idea of revealing, creating a common thread that runs through the Nike Zoom Fly SP, Nike Air Force 1 Low, Nike React Hyperdunk, Nike Air Max 97 and Converse Chuck Taylor (release postponed to 2018). Both groups come in a tight palette of black and white with pops of red and orange. “What we're talking about here is larger than sneakers, it’s larger than design culture,” says Virgil Abloh. “It’s nothing short of state-of-the-art design. These 10 shoes have broken barriers in performance and style. To me, they are on the same level as a sculpture of David or the Mona Lisa. You can debate it all you want, but they mean something. And that's what's important.” For this high-profile project, Abloh merged his early design education, drawn from athletic footwear, hip-hop and rock album covers and graffiti, with formal training in architecture and engineering. Now a successful creative director, DJ, designer and founder of the OFF-WHITE brand, Abloh blurs the lines of various creative processes, rewriting the rules of fashion and design by injecting humor and DIY elements into his aesthetic. “My high school years were made up of playing soccer, skateboarding and biking year-round,” says Abloh. “What I've learned from playing sports and also being obsessed with design is that there is an inherent style and focus that exists amongst athletes and designers alike: What propels them to be the best comes from deep within.” Abloh’s relationship with Nike began long before his first visit to the company’s Oregon headquarters in October 2016 to start a new collaboration. As an Illinois-based teenager, he and his friends sent shoe ideas to Nike. “We were enamored with Air Jordans,” contends the 36-year-old Abloh who is now based between Milan and Chicago. “Michael Jordan was larger than life — he was Superman to me. My entire design background and ethos came from the ‘90s.” Combining this reconstructed design language with Abloh’s urgency to fulfill a life-long dream ultimately led to The Ten, a collaborative exploration of 10 Nike footwear silhouettes. “Most of the creative decisions were made in the first three hours, while actual design and iteration took two to three days,” recalls Abloh. “With the Jordan I was done in one design session. I work in a very like dream-like state. I see it, and it's done.” To participate in the raffle for a pair of “Ten Icons Reconstructed” by Off-White™ x Nike INC. please fill out our online registration form. The procedure is as follows: