He was one of the most high profile fashion designers around.
Virgil Abloh, founder of the Off-White brand and artistic director of Louis Vuitton's men's collections, died of cancer he had been fighting secretly for several years.
He was 41 years old.
Born in Rockford, Illinois, he studied civil engineering and architecture before opening a boutique in Chicago, RSVP Gallery, in 2009. In 2011, he began collaborating with rapper Kanye West. He is the artistic director of
Watch The Throne
, the album he produced in duet with Jay-Z. Also a DJ, he creates the creative collective Been Trill, with two other creators, Heron Preston and Matthew Williams (now at Givenchy). In 2012, he founded Pyrex Vision, which became the year after Off-White, a brand with which he made a name for himself in the industry thanks to his creative use of
streetwear
references.
and pop. In 2018, becoming one of the most courted and popular figures in the fashion world, he became artistic director of Louis Vuitton's men's collections. And multiplies, under its own name or with Off-White, projects and collaborations, with consumer brands (Ikea, Nike) and luxury (Rimowa, Baccarat, Mercedes). An omnipresence which could annoy its detractors, but which takes on its full meaning today, being certainly linked to the urgency implied by his health and by his desire to leave a mark in the history of fashion. Spokesperson for the younger generations, not coming from the seraglio of fashion schools and one of the few black designers to have led the creation of a luxury house, he was also known for his positions and his desire to make accessible its events,parades and creations. A polymorphic creative, he was dedicated to an exhibition by the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago in 2019. This year, LVMH announced that it was strengthening its collaboration with him, the group becoming the majority shareholder of Off-White.
"
We are in shock at this terrible news,"
wrote Bernard Arnault in a press release.
Virgil was not only a brilliant designer, a visionary, he was also a beautiful soul and a man of great wisdom.
The entire LVMH family joins me in expressing its deep sadness.
We all think of those who loved him, who today lost a husband, a father, a brother, a friend.
"