Virgil Abloh. Nike. ICONS

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ICONS, published by TASCHEN, is a dynamic retrospective of the extensive collaborative project between NIKE, Inc. and Virgil Abloh. Glenn Adamson is an author and historian whose focus is primarily on the intersections of designs and art. He carries the title of editor, head researcher and curator at various establishments. Zak Kyes is a creative director who works on digital projects and design platforms with collaborators. Shaniqwa Jarvis is an accomplished photographer who has advertised campaigns for NIKE, Adidas, and Supreme. What is “ICONS”? The book documents Abloh's cooperative way of working and reaffirms the power of print. For its design Nike and Abloh partnered with the acclaimed London-based design studio Zak Group. Together they conceived a two-part compendium, equal parts catalog and conceptual toolbox. The first part of the book presents a visual culture of sneakers while a lexicon in the second part defines the key people, places, objects, ideas, materials, and scenes from which the project grew. Texts by Nike's Nicholas Schonberger, writer Troy Patterson, curator and historian Glenn Adamson, and Virgil Abloh himself frame the collaborative work within fashion and design history. A foreword by Hiroshi Fujiwara places the project within the historical continuum of Nike collaborators. Icons traces Abloh’s investigative, creative process through documentation of the prototypes, original text messages from Abloh to Nike designers, and treasures from the Nike archives. We find Swooshes sliced away from Air Jordans and reapplied with tape or thread, Abloh’s typical text fragments in quotation marks on Air Force 1, and All Stars cut into pieces. We take a look behind the scenes and witness Abloh’s DIY approach, which gives each model in the Off-WhiteTM c/o Nike collection its own unique touch.

In the event of a potential manufacturing fault we reserve the right to return the item to the manufacturer for further assessment. Bringing together all the greats—from Air Jordan 1 to Air Presto—Nike and Virgil Abloh reinvent sneaker culturewith the collaborative project The Ten and redesign 10 sneaker icons. Experience engineering ingenuity and Abloh’s investigative design process: each shoe is a piece of industrial design, a readymade sculpture, and a wearable all at once. Adamson explains how medieval society was structured by religious foundations. He then mentions how in today’s society, we are far more secular than before, and we need something to fill that space. “It’s powerful human stuff, what it was for people thousands of years ago who built their faith in god,” Adamson continues. “And when a lot of us don’t have that, what do we put? We put speakers as an icon. It has to do with finding your way as a human in the world.” In 2016, sportswear manufacturer Nike and fashion designerVirgil Abloh joined forces to create a sneaker collection celebrating 10 of the Oregon-based company’s most iconic shoes. With their project The Ten—which reimagines icons like Air Jordan 1, Air Max 90, Air Force 1, and Air Presto, among others—they reinvigorated sneaker culture. Abloh discusses how growing up as a kid in Southside Chicago as a sneaker fan, he never imagined being a producer since he was a consumer. But that reality changed, and he wanted to make that apparent in his book.Federico Hurth’s photographs are devoid of any post-production manipulation, « if a photo has a flaw, I keep it that way. Precisely to maximize the authenticity of the moment,» the photographer tells us. Wasted Youth offers a glimpse into fragments of youthful lives lived intensely but, at the same time, in a way that may seem “wasted,” in line with the title of his project. The aesthetic, which oscillates between the glitter of glamour and the darkness of decay, reflects the complexity and uncertainty that the contemporary context offers to young people, who are at the mercy of looming precariousness. In conclusion, quoting the words of curator Francesca Bernasconi, «Federico Hurth’s photographs are characterized by an intriguing immediacy and an instinctive and decisive formal exploration, strongly linked to the revolutionary aesthetics that emerged in the 1990s through the work of a generation of photographers, often, like Hurth, straddling the worlds of fashion and alternative artistic scenes.»

The book documents Abloh’s cooperative way of working and reaffirms the power of print. For its design Nike and Abloh partnered with the acclaimed London-based design studio Zak Group. Together they conceived a two-part compendium, equal parts catalog and conceptual toolbox. The first part of the book presents a visual culture of sneakers while a lexicon in the second part defines the key people, places, objects, ideas, materials, and scenes from which the project grew. Texts by Nike’s Nicholas Schonberger, writer Troy Patterson, curator and historian Glenn Adamson, and Virgil Abloh himself frame the collaborative work within fashion and design history. A foreword by Hiroshi Fujiwara places the project within the historical continuum of Nike collaborators. I had seen both books online but when I was out I wasn’t shopping for them, and came across them both by chance. I was thinking about getting them for a few weeks, and decided that I’d go out and get them. Designs are most definitely becoming increasingly digital. Whether that’s thanks to COVID, or the art of archiving one’s work, it’s pretty much essential to every artist. With mass technology consuming our world, it can be especially challenging for artists. Putting their work out there is one thing, but for it to stand out amongst all the other noise is truly a challenge. It is interesting to me for a few reasons. The first is all of the trainers! It’s so cool to see all of them. The second is the design of the ads and the marketing. I love looking at things like this, it gives me ideas and inspiration for doing my own things with the blog and other design projects.

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I love to see what big brands have done with marketing, design and ads. I have always found it really interesting, even more so when it’s a topic or subject I really like. Within ICONS, readers will find Swooshes sliced away from Air Jordans and reapplied with tape or thread, Abloh’s quotation marks trialed on Nike Air Force 1sand Converse All Stars cut into pieces. The effect is abehind-the-scenes witness to The Ten’s DIY approach, which gives each model in the Off-White™c/o Nike collection its own unique touch. "The foundation of my practice isn’t nearly the end result — it’s rigor and process of the logic. The archive is the paper trail of those artifacts," says Abloh."The ICONS book is, in a way, the only revealing lens to understand that the catalog of the 50-plus Nike shoes I have designed are in my mind 'one shoe.'One story." In 2016, sportswear manufacturer Nike and fashion designer Virgil Abloh joined forces to create a sneaker collection celebrating 10 of the Oregon-based company's most iconic shoes. With their project The Ten-which reimagined icons like Air Jordan 1, Air Max 90, Air Force 1, and Air Presto, among others-they reinvigorated sneaker culture. Then sadly Virgil unimpededly passed away. It was such a weird, strange and sad coincidence. There’s no doubt that over the 10+ years or so I have been doing this fashion blog that he’s ha da huge legacy over the fashion industry.

From his most famous label Off White to his collabs with Nike, and working with some of the biggest luxury fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton, he had a big influence over both street wear and high end fashion. Abloh rejects the idea of the name ‘streetwear.’ This isn’t because he doesn’t believe in it, or that he doesn’t believe there’s space for it. It’s because he doesn’t like that this name is a sort of reduction. He believes that you can’t reduce streetwear to a deduction. “It’s not one or the other,” Abloh explained. “It’s both. A purist knows everything—they can tell you any sneaker facts. But then you have the tourists who are like ‘show me the AF1,’ and both of them are valid. That space that they both occupy, makes the culture.” When is the “ICONS” book release? Striving to present something different, Abloh dives into his thought process. “I have to suggest something that’s not been done before,” Abloh reveals. “I was thinking wider scope, so I offered a treatment that could be applied to 10 shoes. I’m not designing the shoe, I’m designing the logic.” This type of thinking is ahead of its time as one can always produce different types of shoes, with one product only barely differing from its predecessor. But to completely reinvent a concept or an idea is what makes bigger, much more noticeable waves. Something that hasn’t really been done before is bound to capture people’s attention. Sneakers—High Society? Keila Guilarte‘s photographs come from a visual reportage conducted between Cuba and Morocco from 2017 to today. Guilarte, who has always explored issues of identity and social belonging, presents artistic images capturing the daily life and beauty of people and places in Maghreb communities. Strong and contrasting lights, colors, and shadows take center stage in these shots, narrating the identity of a people. Simultaneously, there are images depicting Cuban life, connected to the photographer’s photographic memory and childhood. The exhibited photographs, part of her first book “Mi Tierra,” discreetly lead the viewer into the daily intimacy of the Cuban community and the inexhaustible energy of its people, who maintain their identity despite profound and painful cultural changes. Gianluigi Di Napoli, Cirque Du Soleil The Circus World Through Gianluigi Di Napoli’s EyesICONS traces Abloh's investigative, creative process through documentation of the prototypes, original text messages from Abloh to Nike designers, and treasures from the Nike archives. We find Swooshes sliced away from Air Jordans and reapplied with tape or thread, Abloh's typical text fragments in quotation marks on Air Force 1, and All Stars cut into pieces. We take a look behind the scenes and witness Abloh's DIY approach, which gave each model in the Off-WhiteTM c/o Nike collection its own unique touch. His deconstructive vocabulary is reflected in the Swiss binding, which showcases an open spine and discloses the production of the book. How do you apply Afrocentrism to fashion photography? Can it be seen as the primary vehicle for promoting messages of inclusivity and cultural appreciation? A few weeks ago I was out and happened to find these two books: Something’s Off by Virgil Abloh and Soled Out by Sneaker Freaker.