These days, there are fake versions of nearly any sneaker with a modicum of hype. If there’s profit to be made, counterfeiters are sure to cook up a bootleg, oftentimes in advance of the real thing releasing. Or, in the case of these fugazi Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1s, before the real shoe is even made.
Reseller and Air Force 1 specialist @pgknows shared an image of the replicas today, cautioning buyers that fake pairs are already in circulation. Thankfully, it looks like the current fakes aren’t very accurate and use incorrectly positioned panels of Louis Vuitton’s Monogram pattern, among other discrepancies.
While a suspiciously low asking price should be enough of a red flag (the lowest price the real shoes sold for at auction was $75,600 for a size 6.5), the temptation to get what’s far-and-away the year’s biggest sneaker could potentially cloud the judgement of some buyers.
As mentioned, what makes this scenario unique is the fact that authentic Louis Vuitton x Air Force 1s haven’t been fully produced yet. Just a single pair was made for display during Sotheby’s auction of the shoes, with a total of 200 pairs scheduled to be manufactured and shipped to winning bidders within the first half of the year, although the timing is subject to change.
This colorway of the Louis Vuitton x Air Force 1, which mixes the fashion house’s Damier and Monogram prints, was only offered via the Sotheby’s auction. Ending in February, the auction raised a total of $25.3 million, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to late designer Virgil Abloh’s “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund for Black fashion students.
In addition to the Sotheby’s-exclusive colorway, Abloh’s sprawling Louis Vuitton x Air Force 1 collection includes range of eight friends-and-family exclusive colorways along with a selection of styles destined for retail. Information is scarce on the latter, but a total of 47 Abloh-designed colorways are confirmed to be featured in a forthcoming Louis Vuitton exhibition. Retail pricing on those pairs is said to be “in line” with the starting bids of the Sotheby’s auctions ($2,000).
