Virgil Abloh has a David Blaine quality to him. His career does, at least. Project after project, magic trick after magic trick, we sit, cheer, and debate his every move. Some are expected, like his upcoming collaboration with IKEA. Others are unexpected but totally fit: He’s designing costumes for the New York City Ballet this year. And his success rate is unrealistically high. In fact, smart money says the question Virgil is most frequently asked is “When do you sleep?” But his Off-White collaboration with Nike seems so expected, so turnkey, even though it’s been one of his most difficult magic tricks to pull off. How do you impress or shock with a pair of retro sneakers these days? “In my brain, I’ve seen every iteration or color of an Air Force One. So where does that leave you?” Virgil recalls of the early brainstorming sessions with Nike. “I wanted to make something that stops you from mindlessly scrolling.” In 2017, an era of endless sneaker collaborations, breaking through the noise is like making a canary disappear and reappear. Virgil and Nike seemed to do this effortlessly, though. They created ten sneakers in total (the project is aptly titled “The Ten”), all looking like “in process” samples that only the privileged get to see. Frankenstein’s sneakers, cobbled together in the coolest damn way imaginable. To be worn by the coolest damn people on Earth. Next month, as if they needed to create any more “energy” around this release, Nike and Virgil will be hosting a series of presentations and exchanges that inspired his collection, titled “Nike Off Campus.” Think of it as finishing school for the aspiring creative directors of the world. The full collection of kicks will be available this November, with certain pairs releasing beforehand in extremely small quantities. Needless to say, in the sneaker world, Nike is looking to win the sneaker wars in 2017. Virgil Abloh will win the rest of eternity. Photograph by Alex Reside at The Mercer Hotel in New York City.