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ORLANDO, FL – 1993: Shaquille O’Neal #32 of the Orlando Magic poses with Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls prior to playing an NBA game circ 1993 at the TD WAterhouse Centre in Orlando, Florida. Copyright 1993 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
via Getty
ORLANDO, FL – 1993: Shaquille O’Neal #32 of the Orlando Magic poses with Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls prior to playing an NBA game circ 1993 at the TD WAterhouse Centre in Orlando, Florida. Copyright 1993 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
After the unfortunate demise of the fashion sensation Virgil Abloh, the world was shaken. His impact on the world of fashion and its inextricable link to the world of sports is undeniable. From NBA stars to fans, everybody knew who Abloh was. During his lifetime, he looked up to the NBA as well.
Abloh grew up in the 80s and in his teenage years watched the prime years of Michael Jordan.
For him, the NBA had a special place in his heart. That was mostly because of his appreciation of Michael Jordan among various other things and understandably so. While talking about Michael Jordan, this is what Abloh had to say.
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He'd sent sketches to Nike as a kid. For him, the shoes gained meaning as he watched Michael Jordan do impossible things in them. In an interview last year, Don C told me that Abloh was the Jordan of design. It tracks—his goal was to do impossible things. pic.twitter.com/JtjKJSf3WB
— brendandunne (@brendandunne) December 1, 2021
Michael Jordan was like Superman for Virgil Abloh
In the world of fashion and sports, Nike is one of the biggest names in the market. Therefore as a young aspirant in the 80s and 90s, working with Nike was a dream for Abloh. In an interview, he explained what Michael Jordan had to do with that.
He said, “Nike was the lofty company you would never reach. Because for me, I was born in the 80s, so Michael Jordan was superman. He was like the physical person that was doing impossible feats.”
via Getty
NBA legend Michael Jordan seating next to Larry Miller (left), the president of Nike division Jordan, attends the Jordan Classic, a contest between the 30 best French players under age 16, during a European tour to promote his clothing and shoe brand, at Stade Pierre de Coubertin arena in Paris, France. (Photo by Christophe Dupont Elise/Icon SMI/Icon SMI/Icon Sport Media via Getty Images)
Impact of Abloh’s demise on Nike Sneaker Prices
According to sources, after Abloh’s unfortunate demise, Off White and Nike saw its sneakers’ values skyrocket. On websites like StockX and GOAT, some sneakers had a mark-up of near 100% due to Abloh’s demise. Even the resale value of his shoes have shot up like a skyscraper.
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PJ Tucker paid homage to Virgil Abloh last night with his pair of Off-White x Air Jordan 5s pic.twitter.com/1lmF7nPpwr
— Sneaker News (@SneakerNews) December 1, 2021
Since the initial Off-White Air Jordan 1 release in 2017, Virgil Abloh has collaborated several times with Nike Air Jordan. These are still some of the prized and most costly designer-helmed releases. Hence, it causes quite a stir when a pair is released.
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After Abloh’s demise, his designs have become even more exclusive for collectors. This can possibly explain the steep increase in price.
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