Sneaker News A previously unseen Off-White x Air Jordan 1 sample from 2017 has surfaced, revealing a Black/Yellow colorway created during Virgil Abloh’s groundbreaking work with Nike and Jordan Brand.
Images of the shoe were shared by Instagram user @ryancooper___, who describes the Look See sample dating back to 2018. Structurally, the shoe appears nearly identical to the Off-White x Air Jordan 1 that ultimately released, complete with its deconstructed construction, exposed foam, detached/enlargedSwoosh, and signature industrial text detailing.
Rather than the “Chicago” arrangement that debuted as part of The Ten, this sample pairs a predominantly black upper with bright yellow accents, offering a dramatically different interpretation of Abloh’s Air Jordan 1. The colorway has never previously surfaced online and has not even been documented in the Virgil Abloh Archive. The collector also claims that somewhere between one and three pairs may exist.
Nearly a decade after The Ten fundamentally altered the direction of sneaker collaborations, unreleased concepts from Abloh’s design process continue to emerge. Numerous samples and alternate versions have surfaced over the years, but a previously undocumented Air Jordan 1 is particularly notable given the model’s place at the center of the Off-White x Nike story as well as the being the kickstarter to the Air Jordan 1 Retro’s incredible run from 2015 through 2023.
