In 2017, Nike teamed up with Off-White, the luxury streetwear label founded by Virgil Abloh, to create a limited series of 10 sneakers that reimagined some of the most iconic Nike silhouettes. The collection, dubbed “The Ten”, was one of the most ambitious and innovative projects that Nike had ever undertaken, as it gave Abloh complete creative freedom to deconstruct and reconstruct the shoes according to his own vision. The result was a stunning fusion of performance and style, of heritage and modernity, of art and sport.
The Ten was divided into two design categories: “REVEALING” and “GHOSTING”. The REVEALING category consisted of the Air Jordan 1, the Air Max 90, the Air Presto, the Air VaporMax, and the Blazer Mid. These shoes were designed to look accessible and hand-made, with exposed foam, visible stitching, and playful quotation marks. The GHOSTING category consisted of the Air Force 1 Low, the React Hyperdunk, the Zoom Fly SP, the Air Max 97, and the Converse Chuck Taylor All Star. These shoes were designed to look translucent and futuristic, with clear materials and subtle details.
The Ten was released in two drops in October and November of 2017, and it instantly sold out across all platforms. The shoes became highly sought-after by sneaker collectors and fans of Abloh’s work, as they represented a new paradigm of sneaker design and culture. The collection also sparked a series of subsequent collaborations between Nike and Off-White, which expanded on Abloh’s aesthetic and vision. Today, The Ten is widely regarded as one of the most influential and groundbreaking sneaker collaborations of all time, as it redefined what sneakers could be and how they could be worn.
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