As the release for Virgil Abloh‘s highly anticipated Off-White x Air Jordan 5 nears, the beloved designer shares the inspiration behind his latest collaboration.
As seen with many of his past sneaker projects with Jordan Brand and Nike, the deconstructed aesthetic returns along with his signature DIY aspects. The shoe features a textile mesh upper, replacing the leather the silhouette traditionally uses. They are also designed with translucent panels throughout the upper, which are removable for personalization. This version also uses the “Black Metallic” colorway, which is also important to this release. It ties back to the first Air Jordan sneaker that Abloh ever owned.
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“During the ’90s, I was the kid watching Jordan on TV, and I never thought I would be able to do one of his shoes, let alone add anything to them,” Abloh said in a statement. “MJ was a man who became a superhero. He was jumping from the free-throw line, winning six championships, doing the impossible. In design, I feel like I’m at my best if I can almost mirror how impossible those tasks were.”
The Off-White x Air Jordan 5 is scheduled to be released on Feb. 15 via the SNKRS app at 11 a.m. ET as well as at select Jordan Brand retailers for $225.
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