It’s been out for a while now that the Jordan brand is collaborating with the Virgil Abloh Archive – a company led by the late designer’s wife, Shannon Abloh, and his estate –  and dropping the Air Jordan 1 x V.A.A. High OG “Alaska”. 

This is the first Virgil Abloh drop we’ve had for a while, and it’s all very exciting. It’s surreal – it almost feels like it’s 2017 again. But, what would Virgil actually think of the drop? If he were still here, would he be releasing it? 

ASAP Bari, aka @younglord on Instagram, went to his stories to question the new collaboration: “Did Virgil want this?” The sneaker community has been having mixed feelings. In a famous Hypebeast interview back in 2018, Virgil said: “For me – that’s probably goal number one – is to make something that people cherish. You know, we shouldn’t be making any more shoes if they’re not different, to me. They should have a reason for existing.”

As Mike Sykes wrote in his Business of Fashion newsletter “The Kicks You Wear”: “There’s one big thing here that can’t be replicated: Virgil Abloh, himself. Part of what made Virgil’s work with Nike so unique and interesting was the way that he pushed it himself.” It was more about him, rather than the actual drop. 

The Off-White x Nike Air Jordan 1 sneaker was first introduced in the cult “Chicago” colourway as part of the original 2017 collection “The Ten”. The OG collab deconstructed the silhouette, exposing the foam on the collar, removing stitching on the upper and the Swoosh, and Off-White’s signature zip tie. The “Euro” was originally a regional-exclusive the following year, and only later became more broadly available. To this day, it is probably one of the most groundbreaking designs in sneaker history. When it was first announced sneakerheads outside of Europe were trying to pull plugs to get their hands on a pair – it was retailing for £3k on resale platforms like StockX. Today, nearly a decade later, some sizes are up for £13k on StockX. 

In the context of the democratisation of fashion, this release is incredibly valuable – bringing Virgil to a new audience, and letting the fans that can’t just drop four figures on a pair get it for retail price. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a Virgil Abloh-designed shoe, the last being in 2022 in collaboration with Nike. 

The shoe pays homage to Virgil in a few ways. The new drop (based on a sample designed by Virgil himself) follows Virgil’s three percent design rule: a creative only has to add a three percent tweak to a pre-existing concept to innovatively add their mark. The updated design takes on the original details of the Air Jordan 1 Off-White “Euro” but features “V.A.A. for Nike” stamped on the side, replacing the OG “Off-White for Nike” text. The announcement of the shoe last year also coincided with an exhibition at Grand Palais in Paris, “Virgil Abloh: The Codes”, the first major exhibition exclusively dedicated to Virgil. And, it was followed by the opening of the Virgil Abloh Archive, which the new drop is in collaboration with. The archive is a collection of over 20,000 objects spanning Virgil’s creative practice, prototypes of unreleased products, notebooks, sketches, sneakers, and more. Run by Virgil’s wife, the archive preserves Virgil’s work but also strives to provide a free open resource to students, young creatives and anyone that wants to learn. And, honestly, if this collaboration is what keeps the business running, so be it. Take our money. It’s for the kids. It’s for the future of art and design. 

The shoes were already released last week through V.A.A. World’s Fair activations in LA, Chicago, Hong Kong, New York, Paris and Tokyo, pairs were coming about globally during last weekend, including ComplexCon Hong Kong, and the global drop date for the most anticipated shoe of 2026 is finally approaching. 

There will always be a bittersweet feeling when anything about Virgil comes out, the late designer is truly missed in the streetwear and fashion communities, and it’s weird to think what any future releases might look like without his input. But, it’s also a way to remember and celebrate one of the most influential creative figures of the century. 

The Virgil Abloh Archive x Air Jordan 1 High OG “Alaska” drops on April 3rd. Set a release reminder below.