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Virgil Abloh’s Off-White x Air Jordan 1 Could Actually Be Coming Back Next Year

Riley Jones
3 min read
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Virgil Abloh’s most coveted Off-White x Nike collaboration is expected to make a comeback in 2025.

Rumors of a ‘25 Off-White x Air Jordan 1 release have swirled on the internet for weeks, and new details appear to corroborate the early leak. While it seems all but confirmed that an Off-White x Air Jordan 1 will be released next year, the specifics behind the collab’s return to retail remain inconclusive.

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Reports indicate that an Off-White x Air Jordan 1 inspired by Abloh’s original sample of the model will arrive during holiday ‘25. The pair is expected to come in a “White/White” colorway reminiscent of the blank canvas used by the late designer while prototyping the collaboration. There’s also a possibility the upcoming style could match the European-exclusive colorway of the sneaker, which was released in 2018.

An early sample version of the Off-White x Air Jordan 1. Credit: @frankcooker
An early sample version of the Off-White x Air Jordan 1. Credit: @frankcooker

On the heels of 2017’s “The Ten” Off-White x Air Jordan 1 — which remains one of the most coveted collaborations between Abloh and Nike — the brands revisited the design just a few months later with the launch of the all-white iteration in March 2018. The white pair was strictly exclusive to European retailers and never launched stateside, meaning a potential ‘25 release would be the first time the sneaker was available in the US.

Although it lacks the “Chicago” flair of the “The Ten” colorway, the European-only Off-White x Air Jordan 1 is one of Abloh and Nike’s most desirable designs. Its regional scarcity has led to highly inflated resale prices, and StockX’s 12-month historical data shows that the “White/White” pair has actually been selling for slightly more than the original “The Ten” version over the last year.

Virgil Abloh speaks to press during his “Figures of Speech” exhibition in Doha, Qatar featuring unreleased Off-White x Nike sneakers. Credit: Getty
Virgil Abloh speaks to press during his “Figures of Speech” exhibition in Doha, Qatar featuring unreleased Off-White x Nike sneakers. Credit: Getty

In ‘17, Abloh revealed that the “The Ten” Off-White x Air Jordan 1 was originally planned to be all-white. During the design process, Abloh saw someone wearing white Nike Dunks at the airport and changed his mind, deciding that the all-white versions of the models would potentially look too similar.

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“I couldn’t tell if they were [Nike] Dunks or Jordans,” Abloh said. The lightbulb went off in my head: What makes the shoes iconic is the colorway. That’s when I was like, I almost made a mistake.”

Thus, the red, white and black “Chicago”-inspired pair ended up being the debut Off-White x Air Jordan 1, but the all-white theme was revisited shortly thereafter with the Europe release.

“People would have been like, ‘It’s cool, it’s just experimental. We’ve seen too many colorways of too many shoes; it’s not interesting,’” Abloh said of the sneaker’s original white-on-white look. “The shoe would have totally missed the mark.”

It remains to be seen exactly which Off-White x Air Jordan 1 will be released in ‘25, but for now, a “White/White” colorway with a style code of AA3834-100 is scheduled to arrive during the holiday season.

virgil abloh with bella hadid
virgil abloh with bella hadid

Celebrities Wearing Virgil Abloh’s Off-White & Louis Vuitton Designs

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Launch Gallery: Off-White's Fall 2022 Collection and Virgil Abloh Tribute at Paris Fashion Week

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