—To Virgil Abloh
Throughout Virgil Abloh’ career, he was critiqued relentlessly. Many questioned his ability to create designer clothing, pushing him forcefully into a stereotype that was re-enforced by his status as a black designer, resulting in his brand ‘Off-White’ being categorized as street-wear and thus, excluding luxury. Adamant on conveying his own individual pathway and away from popular disapproval, Abloh was able to build and solidify a reputation of creative ambition and, as the only black designer to achieve a position in LVMH that would allow him to work closely with all 75 brands under the umbrella group, rewarded himself with the recognition of being one of the most powerful black executives in the fashion industry of all time. Abloh was a maker more than a designer, setting an example of how faith in oneself can create new heights of creative imagination and fashion phenomena.
To give some context to such an influential individual, Virgil Abloh grew up in Chicago studying an BA in civil engineering and then progressing to a masters in architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2006. He grew up with creative parents to guide him, with his mother being a seamstress and his father a painter. During his time studying architecture, Abloh’s interest in fashion sparked considerably after seeing a Rem Koolhaas building and, while reaping the benefits of having a seamstress mother, was taught how to sew and further an exploration into fashion design. In 2009, Abloh became an intern at Fendi in Rome, which subsequently was the space where he met pop-star and fashion designer Kanye West. They became inseparable, collaborating on a series of projects that would propel them into fashion creatives. Abloh’s first fashion line was called Pyrex Vision, collaborating with Matthew Williams and Heron Preston as part of a collective that would become New Guards Group to leading streetwear connoisseur Off-White.
Off-White was built on the principles of quotation marks and satirical cynicism. Garments were littered with quotations describing the pieces in quite a literal fashion, bringing irony to the forefront of Off-whites fashion design and flair. Abloh quickly rose to fame, building a reputation of a cult personality that personified the ironic design template and pattern design, catering to misfit streetwear groups, chronic online collectors and the rich club kids of fashion capitals who lived for the obviousness of the brand. When Off-white partnered with Nike to deconstruct some of Nikes most favourable shoes, the world opened its eyes to the brand, with most celebrities picking up the shoes and showcasing them to the masses. A year later, his success would make him the creative director of Louis Vuitton Mens.
This position was especially impactful - everybody who knew of the fashion industry or reaped its benefits was talking about Abloh’s position in Louis Vuitton as a black designer, questioning his placement as a statement on diversity and inclusion. The world voiced an opinion on this radical change, with most public speakers coming out with their opinion on having Abloh, a black designer built on the irony of the industry, leading a major fashion house. However, with Off-whites success putting It very highly on the map, surpassing many historic brands, why wouldn’t Abloh be the right fit? A-lot to unpack here.
Abloh’s continued success in foreseeing the impact of logo culture played an intricate part in his success story. Bridging together the want for different communities and sub-cultures to be able to project their identities allowed Abloh to develop his brand outwards significantly, creating hype, fame and demand for his collections and garments. Abloh placed himself as the middle man of different groups of people, integrating poorer communities with the elite to create garments that was inclusive of both sub-cultures as, in fashion, all they wanted to do was be each other. Modernism had intertwined both defining features, transforming the influence of specific garments and flipping them, powerfully.
Abloh has inspired more than just a generation of people - he has given black and brown individual the ability to see themselves in high positions of creativity in the fashion industry. Abloh has broken stereotypes and what it is to a creative. The possibilities are endless, with his legacy being a powerful reminder in trusting yourself and the process of self-discovery. Virgil has inspired me greatly in thinking outside the box, and why collaborations are fundamental for my own improvements in fashion. Without community — family — or just a second opinion, your work can only be as good as your imagination restricts it to be.
