Updated September 2026.
Virgil Abloh, 1980 to 2021
Virgil Abloh died on 28 November 2021, aged 41. Few designers have changed footwear and fashion as much in such a short time. Through Off-White, his work as men's artistic director at Louis Vuitton and his long partnership with Nike, he made the design process itself part of the product, and almost five years on, his work is still being released.
Trained as an architect, Abloh worked with Kanye West for years before launching Off-White in 2013. In 2018 he became the first person of African descent to lead menswear at Louis Vuitton. Through all of it, sneakers were where his ideas reached the most people.
Here are Virgil Abloh's best sneaker designs, from The Ten to the Virgil Abloh Archive releases of 2026, and where to find them on KLEKT. The list is in no particular order.
Off-White x Air Jordan 1 'Chicago'
If one shoe defines Abloh's work, it is this one. As the centrepiece of The Ten in 2017, the Air Jordan 1 'Chicago' was taken apart and rebuilt in a way nobody had tried on a shoe this important. Exposed foam on the tongue, a Swoosh stitched on so loosely it lifts away from the upper, text printed on the medial side and a red zip tie on the laces.
Deconstructing Peter Moore's 1985 design without losing what made it the Chicago is the reason this pair still sits at the top of most Off-White lists. It also changed what a collaboration could look like, from the construction to the way people talked about it. The 'White' and 'UNC' followed in 2018.
Shop the Air Jordan x Off-White 1 Chicago 'The Ten' (2017) on KLEKT
The follow-ups on KLEKT: the Air Jordan x Off-White 1 Retro High 'White' (2018) and the Air Jordan x Off-White 1 'UNC' (2018).
Air Jordan x Virgil Abloh Archive 1 'Alaska'
The newest pair on this list is also one of the most anticipated. Released in 2026 under the Virgil Abloh Archive name, which now covers what used to be called Off-White x Nike, the Air Jordan 1 High OG 'Alaska' returns to the deconstructed shape of the Chicago in white leather with translucent panels, exposed stitching and a lightly aged midsole.
Its style code, AA3834-100, sits right next to the Chicago's AA3834-101, which says a lot about how close it is to the original design. It is the clearest sign that Abloh's Air Jordan 1 work is still being opened up, and the most accessible way into it right now.
Shop the Air Jordan x Virgil Abloh Archive 1 High OG 'Alaska' (2026) on KLEKT
Off-White x Nike Blazer Mid
Part of the 'Revealing' half of The Ten, the Blazer Mid is often the forgotten pair of the pack, and that is exactly why it belongs here. Putting a new idea into a basketball shoe from 1977 is harder than it looks, and Abloh did it with a few precise moves: an oversized Swoosh, exposed foam on the tongue and his familiar text details.
The Blazer turned out to be one of the most versatile shapes for Off-White. Several more colourways followed in 2018, and the Blazer is still one of the easier ways to wear Abloh's design language every day.
Shop the Nike x Off-White Blazer Mid 'The Ten' on KLEKT
Off-White x Nike Air Presto
Tinker Hatfield's Air Presto first appeared in 2000 and took years to be properly appreciated. When Abloh reworked it for The Ten, it became one of the fastest sellers of the pack. The black upper carried an oversized Swoosh, exposed foam, a white cage on the side and AIR branding on the heel strap.
It is still widely considered one of the best Nike x Off-White sneakers so far. White and black 'Polar Opposites' versions followed in 2018, but for most collectors the original black pair is the one.
Shop the Nike x Off-White Air Presto 'The Ten' (2017) on KLEKT
Off-White x Nike Air Force 1
The Air Force 1 is a huge part of Nike's identity, and Abloh treated it with the same approach as the Jordan 1. Exposed foam on the tongue, Swooshes with visible stitching and the text on the side gave Bruce Kilgore's 1982 design a completely new look while keeping its shape intact.
After The Ten came the 'Volt' and 'Black' in 2018 and the 'MCA' in University Blue in 2019, made for Abloh's exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. The MCA is still one of the most chased Off-White pairs of all.
Shop the Nike x Off-White Air Force 1 Low 'MCA' (2019) on KLEKT
More Air Force 1s on KLEKT: the Nike x Off-White Air Force 1 Low 'The Ten', the Nike x Off-White Air Force 1 Low 'Volt' (2018) and the Nike x Off-White Air Force 1 Low 'Black' (2018).
Off-White x Nike Air Max 97
Christian Tresser's Air Max 97 was built around a full-length visible Air unit, and in 2017 it turned twenty. Abloh's version, part of the 'Ghosting' half of The Ten, used a semi-translucent white upper with an oversized Swoosh, large AIR lettering on the heel and a transparent sole.
Printed text on the medial side, an orange tag, a red zip tie and bright lace tips finished it. Next to the standard Air Max 97, it looked like a technical drawing of the shoe rather than the shoe itself.
Shop the Nike x Off-White Air Max 97 'The Ten' (2017) on KLEKT
Off-White x Converse Chuck Taylor
The Converse arrived months after the rest of The Ten, and it divided opinion at the time. With hindsight it may be the boldest design of the pack. A translucent upper let you see straight into the shoe, something no Chuck Taylor had done before, with VULCANIZED printed on the midsole and a slight blue tint underneath.
Taking the most familiar sneaker in the world and changing its material completely was a very Abloh move. It is also one of the more affordable ways into The Ten today.
Shop the Converse x Off-White Chuck Taylor 'The Ten' (2018) on KLEKT
Off-White x Air Jordan 5
The Off-White x Air Jordan 5 'Muslin' landed at All-Star Weekend in February 2020, the Air Jordan 5's 30th anniversary. It drew on the original Black Metallic, often described as the first Jordan Abloh owned, with a semi-translucent black upper, an aged sole and circles on the side that wearers could cut out.
It sold out almost immediately. Later the same year the 'Sail' version followed, and both remain the defining Off-White Jordans after the Air Jordan 1.
Shop the Air Jordan x Off-White 5 'Muslin' (2020) on KLEKT
The second colourway: the Air Jordan 5 Retro Off-White 'Sail' (2020).
Off-White x Air Jordan 4 'Sail'
First seen among the samples at Abloh's Figures of Speech exhibition in 2019, the Off-White x Air Jordan 4 'Sail' was unveiled on the runway at the Off-White women's show in Paris and released in 2020. Leather and mesh in sail tones, translucent wings and heel details and the usual Off-White text made it one of the cleanest Jordans of the year.
It was released in women's sizing, but the size run was wide enough that plenty of men bought a pair too. It sold out almost instantly.
Shop the Air Jordan x Off-White 4 WMNS 'Sail' (2020) on KLEKT
Off-White x Nike Dunk Low
Abloh's Dunk Lows started in 2019 with a three-pair run, Pine Green, University Gold and University Red, with stitched-on Swooshes and his signature text. In 2021 came 'The 50', a collection of fifty numbered colourways from Lot 01 to Lot 50, each with mismatched laces tied through the side.
The 50 turned the Dunk into a collecting game, with people chasing their favourite lot number as much as the colour. Lot 50 is the one that closes the set.
Shop the Nike x Off-White Dunk Low 'Lot 50' (2021) on KLEKT
The 2019 pairs on KLEKT: the Nike x Off-White Dunk Low 'Pine Green' (2019) and the Nike x Off-White Dunk Low 'University Red' (2019).
Off-White ODSY-1000
Reworking a classic is one thing. Creating a new shoe people remember is harder. The ODSY-1000 was Off-White's own model, not a Nike collaboration, a chunky runner with layered panels, a reworked arrow logo and a thick sole that leaned fully into the bulky sneaker trend.
It is not the prettiest shoe on this list, and it was never meant to be. It shows Abloh's process away from someone else's template, and it has run through many colourways since.
Shop the Off-White ODSY-1000 Sneaker Black (2020) on KLEKT
Louis Vuitton LV 408 Trainer
When Abloh succeeded Kim Jones at Louis Vuitton in 2018, he brought his view of streetwear into one of the oldest houses in fashion. For his first show he introduced the LV 408 Trainer, a premium take on a vintage basketball shoe, made in Italy from a large number of individual pieces.
As a shoe it is one more luxury trainer. As a moment it mattered far more: Abloh's appointment showed that the ideas he had developed in sneakers and streetwear now belonged at the very top of the industry.
Virgil Abloh Sneakers on KLEKT
Nearly five years after his death, Abloh's work keeps coming. The Virgil Abloh Archive releases, from the 'Alaska' to the pairs still to come, show how much of his design process was never released in his lifetime. Unreleased samples, such as the Off-White x Air Jordan 1 'Black/Yellow', still surface from private collections.
Most of the pairs above trade regularly on KLEKT, from The Ten to the Archive releases. The full Off-White and Virgil Abloh range on KLEKT covers all of it.
Check out Virgil Abloh's sneaker designs on KLEKT.
Images: Nike / Jordan Brand / Off-White / KLEKT
