The late Virgil Abloh’s legacy is currently being celebrated in Paris with the “Virgil Abloh: The Codes” exhibition at Grand Palais through Oct. 9. The massive exhibit includes over 20,000 objects from Abloh’s career including never-before-seen fashion and footwear designs. And while many of the unseen items will remain unreleased, there are a handful of new looks emerging from Paris which will be arriving at retail soon, perhaps none of them more anticipated than the Air Jordan 1 pictured here.
After months of rumors and delayed release dates, a first look at the Virgil Abloh Archive x Air Jordan 1 High slated to be released in 2026 has surfaced. Said to be nicknamed “Alaska,” likely after the creative studio founded by Abloh in 2017, the pair was worn Saturday by Fragment Design founder Hiroshi Fujiwara during a panel discussion.
As expected, the pair is a new spin on the European-exclusive Off-White x Air Jordan 1 High, which was released in 2018. While changes between the ’18 and ’26 appear minimal, the most obvious update comes on the shoe’s signature medial Helvetica branding. What previously read “Off-White for Nike” is now printed with the text “V.A.A. for Nike,” referencing the Virgil Abloh Archive instead.
While the behind-the-scenes reasoning behind the updated branding have not been disclosed, many theorize that it’s related to Bluestar Alliance’s 2024 acquisition of the Off-White brand. It’s possible that the change in ownership led to shifts in planned collaborations, which explains the lack of Off-White branding on the upcoming Air Jordan 1 sneaker. Instead, it appears that the collaboration will be launched in partnership with the Virgil Abloh Foundation.
The European-exclusive Off-White x Air Jordan 1 from 2018.
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Abloh and Nike, Inc.’s Air Jordan 1 was introduced in November ’17 as part of the original “The Ten” collection. It’s since been released in the all-white, European-exclusive iteration and a University Blue style inspired by Michael Jordan’s alma mater, the University of North Carolina.
An exact release date and retail pricing for the Virgil Abloh Archive x Air Jordan 1 High Alaska has not yet been confirmed, but the collaboration is expected to arrive during spring ’26. The style code for the White/White sneaker is AA3834-100.