The story behind the Jordan V collab.
Continuing to tease the highly anticipated Off-White™ x Air Jordan 5, Virgil Abloh sat down with the Jumpman brand to talk about the forthcoming drop and the design code behind it.
Talking through his current design process as well as previous sneaker designs with Nike and Jordan brand, Abloh dissects his work, explaining “I had my half-made design language, like the previous Off-White x Air Jordan I, which was about deconstruction, that’s a three-year-old idea that I’m not interested in anymore. That design language has evolved.” The Artistic Director for Louis Vuitton talks about the Black Metallic Air Jordan V – the first Jordan shoe his parents bought for him, which would go on to serve as an inspiration to his current designs. Speaking on the nostalgic pair, Virgil goes on to say it was “like they came from a superhero. I was sleeping with the shoes in my bedroom, on the dresser, so I could see them when I woke up.”
With his design language resonating with Jordan Brand’s distinct definition of air, and how Michael Jordan would fly through it, the designer also speaks on MJ, and how he inspires him in design, saying: “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.”
Read the rest of Virgil Ablohs talk with Jordan Brand here:
PHOTO CREDIT: NIKE // AIR JORDAN
