Virgil Abloh. Nike. ICONS

O knihe

Virgil Abloh. Nike. ICONS (slovenský preklad anotácie)

V roku 2016 spojili sily športová značka Nike a módny dizajnér Virgil Abloh, aby vytvorili výnimočnú kolekciu tenisiek oslavujúcu desať najikonickejších modelov tejto celosvetovej značky. Projekt s názvom The Ten nanovo interpretoval legendy ako Air Jordan 1, Air Max 90, Air Force 1 či Air Presto a vdýchol im nový život v rámci modernej sneaker kultúry.

Ablohove návrhy nie sú len o štýle – prinášajú aj hlboký pohľad do sveta technickej vynaliezavosti a kultúrneho významu. Abloh vychádza z pôvodného dizajnu topánok, no rozkladá ho na fragmenty pomocou typografie, ironických poznámok, koláže a „sochárskeho“ prístupu. Inšpirovaný dadaizmom, architektonickým myslením a avantgardným umením, skúma, čo robí jednotlivé modely ikonickými, a následne ich dekonštruuje do novej umeleckej formy.

Publikácia ICONS sleduje Ablohov tvorivý proces do hĺbky – od prototypov a archívnych materiálov značky Nike až po osobné textové správy medzi ním a dizajnérmi. Rovnako odhaľuje zásahy do ikonických modelov: rozstrihnuté Swooshe na Air Jordan teniskách, znovu pripevnené páskou či niťou, fragmentované nápisy na Air Force 1 alebo rozobraté All Star modely. Každý pár nesie vlastný rukopis jeho dekonštrukčného jazyka.

Kniha zároveň sleduje Ablohov „urob si sám“ prístup a tvorivú spoluprácu, ktorá dala každej teniske z kolekcie Off-White™ c/o Nike jedinečný charakter. Dizajn knihy samotnej – vrátane odkrytého chrbta väzby – odráža tú istú filozofiu otvorenosti a procesu.

Virgil Abloh. Nike. ICONS (pôvodná anotácia v angličtine) 

In 2016, sportswear manufacturer Nike and fashion designer Virgil Abloh joined forces to create a sneaker collection celebrating 10 of the Oregon-based company’s most iconic shoes. With their project The Ten—which reimagined icons like Air Jordan 1, Air Max 90, Air Force 1, and Air Presto, among others—they reinvigorated sneaker culture. Virgil Abloh’s designs offer deep insights into engineering ingenuity and burst with cultural cachet. Drawing on the genius of the original shoe using lettering, ironic labels, collage, and sculpting techniques, Abloh played with language and sculptural elements to construct new meaning. Inspired by the wit of Dadaism, architectural theory, and avant-garde happenings, he analyzed what makes each shoe iconic and deconstructed it into an artistic assemblage, making each shoe into a piece of industrial design, a readymade sculpture, and a wearable all at once. ICONS traces Abloh’s investigative, creative process through documentation of the prototypes, original text messages from Abloh to Nike designers, and treasures from the Nike archives. We find Swooshes sliced away from Air Jordans and reapplied with tape or thread, Abloh’s typical text fragments in quotation marks on Air Force 1, and All Stars cut into pieces. We take a look behind the scenes and witness Abloh’s DIY approach, which gave each model in the Off-WhiteTM c/o Nike collection its own unique touch. His deconstructive vocabulary is reflected in the Swiss binding, which showcases an open spine and discloses the production of the book. The book documents Abloh’s cooperative way of working and reaffirms the power of print. For its design Nike and Abloh partnered with the acclaimed London-based design studio Zak Group. Together they conceived a two-part compendium, equal parts catalog and conceptual toolbox. The first part of the book presents a visual culture of sneakers while a lexicon in the second part defines the key people, places, objects, ideas, materials, and scenes from which the project grew. Texts by Nike’s Nicholas Schonberger, writer Troy Patterson, curator and historian Glenn Adamson, and Virgil Abloh himself frame the collaborative work within fashion and design history. A foreword by Hiroshi Fujiwara places the project within the historical continuum of Nike collaborators.