Obituaries and memories started to pour in from around Hollywood with the likes of musician Pharrrel Williams, Drake, Hailey Bieber, Questlove, Idris Elba, BTS, and more paying their tribute to Virgil Abloh a fashion icon who died on Sunday of a rare cancer. The Louis Vuitton designer, DJ, and album art creator had scripted history by being the first African American to lead the fashion industry from the helm of giants like Louis Vuitton. Making his mark by his in-depth understanding of design and passion for creativity beyond clothing, he was equally successful in his industrial career also being the founder of brands like Pyrex Vision and Off-White.
Unexpected Beginnings and a Great Journey
Abloh’s venture into fashion was rather an overnight change of stardom. Rising through the ranks in the industry of fashion, he paved the path for his peers and mentors – Kanye West, Matthew Williams, Heron Preston, and also Kim Jones and Nigo. He was friends with Kanye since his days of attending the University of Wisconsin and the Illinois Institute of Technology from where he holds degrees in engineering and architecture. He eventually interned with West at Fendi and served as his creative director during his early ventures into fashion.
Throughout his highly inspirational journey, he served as a power statement as one of the first and few Black men in the prestigious rooms and created endless possibilities for the ones like him coming next. During the Black Lives Matter movement in the USA, Abloh who was then the CFDA board member along with his fellow members spoke out against the systemic racism that marks the industry. “ CFDA needs to stand for the rights of black people in the fashion industry. Anything less than that is a compromise and this is not a time for compromise,” he said.
Apart from this, he leaves a tremendous change in tastes and perspectives – influencing a whole generation of men to take interest in fashion and clothing from the traditional obsession over sports and rock. He lived and showed a way of fulfilling dreams – no matter how the world sees it. Abloh never shied away from his style copying from pieces and reinventing them to make his own – something that the industry hadn’t really seen in a positive light.
Famous Works
One of the ways he took his brands forward, particularly off-white was through collaborations with other brands. And one of the firsts such iconic collaborations was with Nike in 2017 titled “The Ten” in which he redesigned converse with his own innovations and Off-White marks of bold and yellow. The second one of such was when he custom-made the bridal dress for Hailey Bieber, with his own touch of quotes on the veil. The post of the Off-White wedding gown gained much popularity.
He has also designed furniture for Ikea and Off-White’s homeware lines called Grey Area, featuring a blend of contemporary and quirky features.
He was an excellent storyteller through his designs. On the occasion of Princess Diana’s 20th death anniversary, he created up a whole spring collection based on her at the Paris Fashion Week 2018. The collection called Natural Women was an Off White line with more than 40 looks. Her signature wardrobe styles were infused with the designer’s sense for perfect streetwear.
In 2018, he was made the artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear, being the first Black person to hold the title. The same year he was featured in Times 100 Most Influential people. In 2011, he had also won a Grammy for best recording package alongside Kanye West.
