Nike’s ‘The Ten’ Could’ve Been A Hiroshi Fujiwara Project

The history book of modern sneaker lore (aka The Ultimate Sneaker Book) has a few pages devoted to Nike’s ‘The Ten’ collection. While Virgil Abloh ultimately helmed this set, it’s been known for a while now that Japanese mastermind Hiroshi Fujiwara could’ve had his own take too.

Fragment Design’s head honcho and frequent Swoosh collaborator shared some snaps of a scrapped sample from 2016 that appears to be a modified Air Max 1. Dressed in all suede, the distinct lacing system resembles the Air Max 95 Ultra JCRD from the era, but could also be a nod to old hiking styles. On the Ultra front, the Air Max 1 sole looks to be the Ultra edition with its softer shape and modified tread. There is also an interesting asymmetry going on, with an extended tongue running into a flap-style closure. Leather lining and subtle Fragment branding tie the package together. They do resemble the Zoom Meriwether from a few years ago, too…

Enjoy the pics above and think about how the sneaker scene would have been if it was Hiroshi instead of Virgil.