Virgil Abloh-designed sneakers race to $25.3M at NYC charity auction

One of the 200 pairs of Louis Vuitton and Nike ‘Air Force 1’ sneakers designed by the late Virgil Abloh and offered at Sotheby’s New York on February 9. The sale totaled $25.3 million, well in excess of its $3 million high estimate. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s
One of the 200 pairs of Louis Vuitton and Nike ‘Air Force 1’ sneakers designed by the late Virgil Abloh and offered at Sotheby’s New York on February 9. The sale totaled $25.3 million, well in excess of its collective $3 million high presale estimate. Image courtesy of Sotheby’s

NEW YORK – In a highly anticipated auction that marked the first-ever release of the Louis Vuitton and Nike ‘Air Force 1’ sneakers and Louis Vuitton pilot case created by the late Virgil Abloh, the 200-lot sale achieved a total of $25.3 million — more than eight times the auction’s overall $3 million high estimate — setting multiple new benchmarks, including the highest known public records for the most valuable sneaker and fashion auctions ever staged, and the most valuable charity auction at Sotheby’s in nearly 10 years. Proceeds from the sale will benefit The Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund, which, in partnership with the Fashion Scholarship Fund, supports the education of academically promising students of Black, African American or African descent.

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