In 2016, sportswear manufacturer Nike and fashion designer Virgil Abloh joined forces to create a sneaker collection celebrating 10 of the Oregon-based company’s most iconic shoes. With their project The Ten—which reimagined icons like Air Jordan 1, Air Max 90, Air Force 1, and Air Presto, among others—they reinvigorated sneaker culture.

Virgil Abloh's designs incorporated elements of engineering ingenuity and cultural significance. He used techniques such as lettering, ironic labels, collage, and sculpting to give each shoe a new meaning. Inspired by Dadaism, architectural theory, and avant-garde happenings, Abloh deconstructed and reconstructed each shoe, turning them into industrial design pieces, readymade sculptures, and wearable items. The book ICONS documents Abloh's creative process, showcasing prototypes, original text messages, and Nike archives. It reveals the DIY approach and unique touches that Abloh brought to each model in the Off-WhiteTM c/o Nike collection. The book's design, created in collaboration with Zak Group, features a visual culture of sneakers in the first part and a lexicon defining key elements of the project in the second part. Texts by various contributors frame the collaborative work within fashion and design history, with a foreword by Hiroshi Fujiwara placing it in the context of Nike's collaborations.