Remembering Virgil Abloh: Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton & CEO of Off-White
Yesterday, the world got the sad news of the passing of Virgil Abloh. He was an American fashion designer and entrepreneur. Known for being the artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collection from 2018 until his death, Virgil made his mark on the world of fashion. Abloh was also the CEO of the Milan-based label Off-White, a fashion house he founded in 2012.
Sunday, the fashion world was shook with the announcement of Virgil Abloh’s passing in Chicago after a two-year battle with cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare cancer. Leaving this world at the young age of 41, Virgil left behind not only a fashion legacy but his childhood sweetheart and wife, Shannon (née Sundberg), and their two children, Grey and Lowe.
Awards & Honors
Virgil Abloh received his first major award in 2011 with his work designing the cover art for rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West's collaborative album ‘Watch the Throne‘. It was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package. In 2015, Virgil was one of the finalists for the LVMH Prize for his production of the brand ‘Off-White’. Abloh was the only American designer to be nominated for the award that year. He also won International designer of the Year at the GQ men of the year awards in 2017. His Off-White Air Jordan "the Ten" collaboration won 2017's Shoe of the Year and he received the nod for Accessory Designer of the Year. Abloh was listed as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2018, one of two designers named that year. In 2019, Abloh was also nominated for Menswear Designer of the Year. All this goes to show the complex fashion mentality he keep throughout his entire career. Changing the ways of fashion and streetwear, Virgil will forever be remembered.
Virgil’s Impact On The World
Following the announcement of his passing, many celebrities took to social media to share their love and admiration for the fashion designer. Check out a few memories below:
Abloh was regarded as one of the most influential and powerful Black designers of his generation. An artistic polymath, he also worked as a DJ who played festivals such as Chicago’s Lollapalooza and opened for artists such as Travis Scott. He also served as a longtime creative director for rapper Kanye West, who told the New York Times that Virgil was “one of the smartest, fastest, most innovative people I’ve created with”. Out thoughts and prayers go out to Virgil’s family during this time. We are proud to have lived in this time period to witness his art and direction in shaping the fashion world.
