VIRGIL ABLOH: A LEGEND OF THE FASHION INDUSTRY

After a private battle with cancer the world lost Virgil Abloh on Sunday night. “An innovator. A creator for the history books” is how Donatella Versace described him. As the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection since 2018 and the chief executive officer of Off-White, Abloh had more than just a large influence in fashion. Ultimately, Abloh reimagined the meaning of fashion and what it means to be a designer in the industry.

Last night, November 30, Louis Vuitton presented Virgil Abloh’s Spring-Summer 22 collection to pay tribute to his life and the legacy he left behind. Michael Burke, Louis Vuitton’s CEO, stated that Virgil “paved the way for future generations. As a devoted supporter of his community through his charities and passions, he was an eternal optimist who believed anything was possible” and that his “deepest thoughts are with his wife, children, parents, family and the entire community that was touched by greatness”.

“I feel like, what’s the point of design and art if you’re not creating and thinking freely? It’s the duty of artists to dream out loud in a productive way. For me, it’s depressing if an industry based on creativity just makes decisions on a practical basis.” -Virgil Abloh (1980-2021)

Sources:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/28/style/virgil-abloh-dead.html