Main Sources of Design Inspiration for the LV x Off-White Air Force 1

1. LV x Off-White Air Force 1 Classic Hip-Hop Cultural Elements

In 1988, the famous New York rap duo Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock wore a custom Air Force 1 on the cover of their album It Takes Two. The shoe, adorned with an LV Monogram Swoosh logo, was crafted by Dapper Dan—a legendary Harlem bootleg designer of the 1980s—and this became one of the key sources of inspiration for the collaboration. Virgil Abloh regarded the Air Force 1 as a symbol of hip-hop culture. Drawing inspiration from this album, he used the Nike Air Force 1 Low and Air Force 1 Low Mid as design templates, and integrated LV’s iconic Damier check pattern and Monogram print. The result was a collaborative sneaker that perfectly blends street style with luxury.

2. The "Amen Break" Drum Sample

Virgil Abloh drew inspiration from the "Amen Break"—a drum segment from a 1969 song by The Winstons, and one of the most recognizable samples in hip-hop and jungle music. He drew a parallel between the Air Force 1 and the "Amen Break," viewing the Air Force 1 as a "sample" in its own right. Just like the "Amen Break," the sneaker transforms abstract concepts into reality through the integration and co-creation of elements such as colors, prints, graffiti, and patches—crafting a unique interpretation of hip-hop culture.

3. Cnfans LV x Off-White Air Force 1 Music Cultural Elements

The theme of Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2022 Men’s Collection centered on the "six seconds that defined a subculture"—the Amen Break. The brief six-second drum loop from this track was widely sampled in the late 1980s, becoming the foundational backbone of hip-hop and jungle music at the time. Virgil Abloh included the Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 collaboration in the collection named after the Amen Break. The two share a common cultural significance, as both carry the essence of hip-hop culture.