Fashionable kicks for the ladies
After a sneak peek in Paris and Chicago, Nike revealed Virgil Abloh’s latest Air Jordan creation for women on July 20, as well as where sneaker fans can get their hands on it.
The new Virgil Abloh Women’s Air Jordan IV x Off-White has been designed in a full-grain cream coloured leather, with exposed foam, mesh, and clear textile details adding a contemporary edge to the classic Nike silhouette. AIR is printed above the yellow tinted outsole in the familiar bold text graphics of the Off White brand, while a signature Off-White zip tie provides the finishing touch.
Nike has also revealed that the women’s Air Jordan IV x Off-White releases July 25 priced at US$200 ($276) on its website and at retail stores across North America, Europe and Asia.
Be like Mike
Christie’s is collaborating with sneaker purveyor Stadium Goods for the online sale of Original Air, which is billed as “the most comprehensive sneaker record of Michael Jordan’s era-defining Chicago Bulls career.”
Original Air features a selection of Michael Jordan game-worn sneakers and rare memorabilia that represent the most iconic moments of the American former professional basketball player’s decades-long career and his enduring impact on culture and style.
Among them are a pair of Nike Air Ship that Jordan wore for a brief time for the NBA preseason and early games of his rookie season. According to the basketball legend’s preference, the left shoe is notably a size 13.5, while the right shoe is a size 13. Extremely rare on the market, this game-worn pair of Nike Air Ship, MJ Player Exclusive (1984) is estimated to sell between US$350,000 and US$550,000.
Another star lot is a pair of Air Jordan 7 Olympic that Jordan famously wore for the final of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic basketball tournament. These iconic sneakers are sourced from a former receptionist of the Ambassador Hotel in Barcelona, where Jordan and his fellow teammates stayed during the competition. These Jordan 7s are now expected to fetch up to $70,000 during Christie’s Original Air sale, which will take place from July 30 through August 13 on the auction house’s website.
Affordable Basquiat
British footwear brand Dr. Martens is paying homage to Jean-Michel Basquiat with a collection of adults’ and children’s shoes inspired by some of the American artist’s most iconic works. Priced at less than EUR200 ($321), the shoes are available from selected outlets and online from Drmartens.com.
At the end of June of this year, a Jean-Michel Basquiat work on paper entitled Untitled (Head) sold for US$15.2 million at an online auction organized by Sotheby’s. Of course, most people simply do not have the means to purchase a work by the Brooklyn-born painter, not even if they take on endless decades of debt. However, fans of the artist can now take heart in the fact that even though they can never afford an artwork, they can at least buy the boots by the iconic Dr. Martens. The cult brand is now preparing to launch a collection in collaboration with the estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat, which turns a spotlight on some of his most famous works.
Two of the British manufacturer’s models, Dr. Martens 1460 boots and its three-eye 1461 shoes will now serve as canvases to allow fans to show their fondness for Basquiat, who died from a heroin overdose at the age of 27 in 1988. In all, the collection will include three pieces marked by the use of neo-expressionist colours and an underground tone much-loved by Basquiat and by Dr. Martens.
So, which of the Jean-Michel Basquiat works will you choose? In the collection, adult-sized Original 1460s are decorated with the graffiti-inspired “Beat Bop,” while junior 1460s offer a rendering of the “Pez Dispenser” dinosaur. Last but not least, the collection’s 1461 model feature the highly colourful “Dustheads.” The three pairs of shoes along with a Basquiat rucksack will be available from July 10 at prices which start from EUR90 for the children’s items and EUR169 for the adult-sized footwear
