Virgil Abloh Teams Up With Grace Wales Bonner, Michele Lamy, and Kim Jones

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Following Virgil Abloh’s hugely successful “OFF CAMPUS” pop-up events during NYFW—which featured a series of talks and workshops with everyone from Shayne Oliver, Heron Preston to Spike Lee and Venus X—Abloh brings his DIY design workshops to London.

Made in collaboration with Nike, in celebration of Abloh’s reinterpretation of The Ten iconic silhouettes (whereby Abloh remixed the iconic designs of Nike shoes from the Air Jordan 1 to the Air Max 90). “OFF CAMPUS” will bring together industry heavyweights, of varying mediums, to discuss the ins and outs of product design, street culture and music, as well as giving guests the chance to rework and recreate their very own t-shirts, fanzines and sneakers.

Running from September 14 – 17, London’s series will kick off with a “Remix and reconsturct” workshop, which will see guests recreate the iconic Nike Air Force 1 with DIY techniques and materials handpicked by contemporary artist Eddie Peake and LVMH award winning designer Grace Wales Bonner, as well as rapper A$AP Nast and Michele Lamy.

“It’s nothing short of state-of-the-art design. These 10 shoes [I designed] have broken barriers in performance and style. To me, they are on the same level as a sculpture of David or the Mona Lisa. You can debate it all you want, but they mean something. And that’s what’s important.”

The workshops and discussions—which were a life-long dream of Abloh’s—will see some of the industry’s biggest juggernauts tackle subjects as broad as ‘culture’ and what that word actually means (a conversation between Louis Vuitton Artistic Director Kim Jones and Abloh) and the art of music curation, (spearheaded by Kanye collaborator and producer Benji B).

But the workshops will be far more than redesigning sneakers: “T-shirt” will give guests the opportunity to remix their very own vintage Nike t-shirt with Balenciaga consultant and designer Martine Rose, whilst “Culture Run” will take you on a curated run through the streets of London backed by a banging soundtrack provided by Grime artist JME and Boiler Room music programmer Skinny Macho.

“I spend a tremendous amount of time thinking about the kid in the middle of nowhere who has a passion for design, much like I did,” Abloh says. “He or she needs a path like this to understand design.”

Although the designs Abloh has made with Nike—by dissecting and essentially re-gutting the shoes—may look complex, Abloh says a big part of the workshop’s beauty is to open up the shoe to reveal the innovation within, and make the process feel more approachable. “Yes, we’re making a desired product, but by making a trip to your local store, and using tools you have at home, you could also make this shoe.” says Abloh, “My high school years were made up of playing soccer, skateboarding and biking year-round. What I’ve learned from playing sports and also being obsessed with design is that there is an inherent style and focus that exists amongst athletes and designers alike: What propels them to be the best comes from deep within.”

For more details and to sign up for a chance to attend visit a talk or workshop visit nike.com/theten.

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