Since 2014, Footwear News has been awarding the Shoe of the Year award during its annual FN Achievement Awards. This year, the publication is presenting the coveted award to none other than designer Virgil Abloh.
Abloh is receiving the honor for his Air Jordan 1 sneaker from his The Ten collection with Nike. The limited-edition sneaker has been praised by sneakerheads and will be released globally on November 9, along with the rest of the Ten Collection.
Abloh, who first rose to fame on the fashion scene for being Kanye West’s creative director, has since become a major force in the fashion industry. He launched his own fashion label, Off-White, in 2014, and he has since partnered with some of the biggest brands including Nike, IKEA and Jimmy Choo. Abloh also recently debuted the Off-White c/o Jimmy Choo shoe collaboration for Spring 2018 at his runway presentation during Paris Fashion Week.
Abloh isn’t the first big name to win the coveted Shoe of the Year award. Last year, Rihanna nabbed the award for the Fenty Puma Creeper and in 2015, Kanye West won for his Adidas Yeezy Boost 350. The iconic Adidas Stan Smiths won the first Shoe of the Year award in 2014.
Considering Abloh’s Shoe of the Year honor and wealth of other accomplishments, it’s become pretty clear that the sky is the limit for the designer. We’ll continue to pay close attention to his next moves, and wish him nothing but continued success!