Although only eight in number, the pairs of Nike Dunk Low basketball sneakers that Sotheby’s sold on April 14 blew their pre-sale estimates, scoring a total of $565,150 (including fees) from a high estimate of $32,000. The limited-edition shoes, designed in collaboration between the late Off-White designer Virgil Abloh and famed graffiti artist Futura, averaged $71,000 per pair, eclipsing the $2,000-4,000 estimate for each pair.
The highest-grossing lot, a size 10 pair in orange (only two colors were made, orange and pale blue), fetched nearly $108,000, 27 times its high estimate. It also received the most bids with 74. A total of 492 bids came from 17 countries, with each pair attracting 62 bids on average. A Sotheby’s spokesperson told Artnet News that more than half of those bidders were new to the auction house.
The global online auction was the first release of the Virgil Abloh™ x Futura Laboratories Dunks. They made their runway debut at Off-White’s Spring ’20 menswear show in Paris, which also saw the designer and artist team up in a series of spray-painted prints. The two designed the sneakers with a small team to prevent potential leaks.
From the start, the sneakers were intended as one-offs for show, not for commercial release. A limited quantity was designated for auction – benefiting charities important to Abloh and Futura – while the remaining handful of samples were personalized and gifted to their friends and artistic circles.
Virgil Abloh, Gigi Hadid (left) and two models backstage at the Off-White Spring/Summer 2020 menswear show in Paris. Photo: Pierre Suu/Getty Images.
Virgil Abloh imagined the collaboration as an opportunity to recognize Futura’s lifelong contributions to street art, with the show acting as a nod to New York’s first graffiti scene, where the artist appeared. At first, in the 1980s, Futura exhibited works at Patti Astor’s Fun Gallery alongside pieces by Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Richard Hambleton and Kenny Scharf. Although best known as a graffiti artist, he has also worked as a graphic designer, illustrating album covers for bands such as The Clash.
A reinterpretation of a classic Nike style, the Dunks combine the artistic hallmarks of each design, the abstract graffiti style of Futura and the signature double lacing of Abloh. The Sotheby’s sale was the first and only opportunity for the public to acquire the coveted pumps, offered without reserve.
The pale blue version of the Virgil Abloh™ x Futura Laboratories Dunks. Courtesy of Sotheby’s.
The full hammer price (excluding fees) of the eight lots will be donated to the Virgil Abloh Foundation, which will be launched later this year. The foundation seeks to empower and provide opportunities for diverse young people interested in pursuing creative careers. Additionally, the foundation has pledged to donate half of its profits to three charities chosen by Futura: the Art for Justice Fund, the Boys & Girls Club of America and the Innocence Project.
“The ‘Virgil Abloh™ x Futura Laboratories’ Dunks are iconic in every way, but especially for bringing together two of the brightest and most creative artists of our generation,” said Brahm Wachter, Head of Streetwear and Collectibles modern at Sotheby’s. “I am extremely grateful that Sotheby’s was able to be part of these shoes’ next journey and, in turn, raise funds for the Virgil Abloh Foundation, whose mission was so deeply personal and dear to Virgil.”
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