Virgil Abloh and Nike embarked on one of the greatest and most ambitious sneaker collaborations of all time in 2017. Called "The 10," the collection featured a full range of Nike, Air Jordan, and Converse sneakers that Abloh ripped apart and rebuilt to critical and secondary market acclaim.
After the first 10 silhouettes, Abloh and Nike continued to work together on collections for the World Cup or for Serena Williams, or just random shoes for sneakerheads in general. He’s released over 50 Dunks, which made Exclusive Access a buzzword. Taken on technical running models. Done a handful of Air Jordans at this point and made the Air Force 1 a centerpiece of his work.
The designer, who was announced as the new men's artistic director at Louis Vuitton six months after his first Nike work launched, would change the way we looked at sneakers forever. He passed away at the age of 41 in November from a rare form of heart cancer. Our thoughts are with his family and those close to him.
Here’s a retrospective, ranked look at his work with Nike.