Virgil Abloh-Designed Sneaker Collection Sells For $25 Million At Auction
Virgil Abloh’s legacy is living on in very expensive fashion, as a collection of sneakers designed by the fashion icon recently sold for $25.3 million at a Sotheby auction.
On Wednesday, the Sotheby auction house released a statement confirming the collection had sold for eight times more than was expected, as original estimates suggested the collection may go for $3 million. Describing the sale as a “record auction total,” this was the first time the sneakers went on sale.
According to CNN, Abloh originally designed the sneakers for the Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer 2022 collection, making it a rare collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Nike Air Force 1.
The shoes reportedly vary in sizes from 5 to 18. The most expensive sneakers sold at the auction – which were reportedly a size 5 – went for $352,800, although the original estimate for the pair was only $15,000.
Each of the sneakers sold were accompanied by a special Louis Vuitton carrying case, fashioned out of leather and inspired by earlier designs from the fashion house.
The limited-edition nature of the collection as well as Abloh’s recent passing likely increased interest in the collection.
As per Vogue, Abloh passed away in November 2021 after a private, two-year long battle with a rare form of cancer. Abloh made a name for himself in the entertainment world as the founder of Off-White, a men and women’s clothing brand.
Abloh was also known for acting as the Men’s Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton since 2018, which afforded him the opportunity to design the million-dollar sneaker collection. During his time with the brand, Abloh was credited for helping bridging the gap between Louis Vuitton’s reputation as a high-fashion designer and the prevalence of streetwear.
Educated as an architect, Abloh first made a name for himself in Chicago street fashion. He entered at Fendi before beginning a partnership with Kanye West, founder of Yeezy, which Abloh credited for helping launch his career and own brand.
In total, Sotheby received more than 10,000 bids on the sneaker collection. 40% of the bids reportedly came from interested buyers located in Asia. Interestingly, many of the buyers were young in age – with two-thirds under 40-years old.
The CEO of Sotheby, Charles F. Stewart, explained that the auction was ground-breaking due to its “unparalleled global participation,” emphasizing this is undoubtedly due to Abloh’s legacy in the fashion world.
It’s being reported that proceeds from the auction will go towards the Virgil Abloh Post-Modern Scholarship Fund, a scholarship program set up to support Black students.
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