Prior to his untimely passing, the great Virgil Abloh left behind the keys to creativity, loading nearly his entire creative process onto a micro-site for current and future generations to find inspiration in. In those vaults are a number of unrealized colorways, samples, and re-imaginations of Nike footwear, some of which may see a future release (like the upcoming Off-White Air Jordan 1 “Alaska”).
This Air Force 1 Overlace sample in a rarely-seen “Crimson” colorway is easily one of the rarest of those scarce pairs. It features Virgil’s unmistakable fingerprints, from the Helvetica text on the medial side to the exposed stitching on the Swoosh, to the “AIR” on the midsole. The wide overlace system, which didn’t release on any of the Air Force 1 Lows in this style, reveals just how deep in the ‘chives these really are.
According to high-end shoe dealer of super rare kicks @pgknows, these are in Virgil’s own shoe size (12) and may be one of two or even three pairs in existence. It’s not exactly clear where these were secured from, but they can be yours if you’re willing to shell out some coin.