Key Details
- The “Black/Lightning” colorway pairs a black upper with yellow hits on the ankle, oversized Swoosh, laces and outsole.
- Collector @ryancooper___ says only three pairs of this 2018 sample were ever made.
- The pair includes a “SAMPLE” stamp on the inner heel, two sample tags, a sample bag and three extra sets of laces.
An unreleased Off White x Air Jordan 1 High sample dressed in a “Black/Lightning” colorway has resurfaced years after it was shelved. The pair dates back to 2018, during Virgil Abloh’s earliest work on the Off White x Nike partnership, and it never made it to retail or the official Virgil Abloh Archive.
Collector @ryancooper___, who currently holds the shoe, says only three pairs were ever produced and is now fielding offers from buyers.
Release Date, Price and Where to Buy
Off White x Air Jordan 1 High OG “Black/Lightning” Sample
Colorway: Black/Lightning
Price: TBA
Release Date: TBA
The Off White x Air Jordan 1 High “Black/Lightning” sample is not expected to release at retail. No price was ever set for the pair, and there is no official style code since it never moved past the sample stage. @ryancooper___, the collector currently in possession of the shoe, is fielding serious offers from interested buyers directly rather than through any retailer.
Off White x Air Jordan 1 High OG “Black/Lightning” Sample Design
The find adds another chapter to the long list of one off Jordan 1 samples tied to Abloh’s early design process. Off White’s retail run of Air Jordan 1s, cataloged on JustFreshKicks’s Off White page, reshaped how the industry approached deconstruction and set a template other labels have chased since. This particular pair sits outside that retail lineage entirely, closer to the archival prototypes tracked in JFK’s Air Jordan 1 High coverage than to a shoe consumers could have bought off a shelf. It follows other Off White Jordan 1 stories on the site, including the Off White x Air Jordan 1 High OG “Alaska”, though this “Black/Lightning” pair never reached that stage.
Black covers the majority of the upper, while a bright yellow, described as Lightning, lands on the ankle, an oversized Swoosh, the laces and the outsole. White stitching traces the darker panels, a contrast that separates this sample from the Off White Jordan 1s that eventually reached stores. Abloh’s usual visual signatures carry through the build, including “AIR” printed along the midsole, Off White script on the medial side, and the raw, exposed construction that became a hallmark of his early Nike output. The oversized Swoosh is stitched down in blue thread, and a small orange tab sits near the heel for an extra pop of color.
Several details mark this as a true sample rather than a production shoe. A “SAMPLE” stamp sits on the inner heel, two sample tags remain attached, and the pair comes housed in its original sample bag. Three additional sets of laces, in blue, orange and grey, are included as well, each finished with the same Off White treatment as the shoe itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Off White x Air Jordan 1 High “Black/Lightning” sample release?
It is not expected to release. The pair was made as a sample in 2018 and never moved into production.
How much does it cost?
No retail price was ever set. The current owner, @ryancooper___, is fielding private offers from interested buyers.
Where can you buy it?
It is not sold through any retailer. Only three pairs are known to exist, and any sale would happen privately through the collector.
How many pairs of this sample exist?
According to @ryancooper___, only three pairs were ever made.
Why isn't this sample in the Virgil Abloh Archive?
It was never included among the pieces the Archive showcased, making it one of the design ideas that stayed hidden from public view.
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via @ryancooper___
