Virgil Abloh
Fashion Designer
Virgil Abloh was a fashion designer, entrepreneur, artist and DJ. He was the Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collections and the CEO of his own label, Off-White.
Born in Rockford, Illinois, Abloh graduated in 2003 with a master's degree in architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Abloh's international fashion career began in 2009 when he interned at Fendi in Rome along with Kanye West. Since then the two have built a long-standing creative partnership. In 2010, Abloh was appointed creative director at DONDA, West's creative agency. In 2011, Abloh art-directed Jay-Z and West's album, Watch the Throne, which earned him a Grammy nomination. In 2013, Abloh launched his own high-end streetwear brand, Off-White. In 2015, Off-White was a finalist for the coveted LVMH Prize. In 2017 he won the Urban Luxe award at the British Fashion Awards and International Designer of the Year at the GQ men of the year awards. Abloh was listed on Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2018 and the next year, he was nominated as Menswear Designer of the Year by the CFDA.
Abloh undertook several collaborations including with Warby Parker, Jacob the Jeweler, Jimmy Choo and most notably with Nike in 2017. Abloh was asked to redesign a selection of Nike's best-selling shoes. In 2019, he released a furniture collection in partnership with IKEA.
Abloh also produced artwork over the years, working closely with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. His first solo exhibition entitled Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech opened in 2019 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. He also explored DJing and even released his first single in 2018.
In 2018, Abloh was appointed artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collections, succeeding his friend and mentor Kim Jones. Abloh is the first African-American to be appointed artistic director at a French luxury fashion house.
He died on Sunday 28 November, 2021 from cancer.
Virgil Abloh was a fashion designer, entrepreneur, artist and DJ. He was the Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collections and the CEO of his own label, Off-White.
Born in Rockford, Illinois, Abloh graduated in 2003 with a master's degree in architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Abloh's international fashion career began in 2009 when he interned at Fendi in Rome along with Kanye West. Since then the two have built a long-standing creative partnership. In 2010, Abloh was appointed creative director at DONDA, West's creative agency. In 2011, Abloh art-directed Jay-Z and West's album, Watch the Throne, which earned him a Grammy nomination. In 2013, Abloh launched his own high-end streetwear brand, Off-White. In 2015, Off-White was a finalist for the coveted LVMH Prize. In 2017 he won the Urban Luxe award at the British Fashion Awards and International Designer of the Year at the GQ men of the year awards. Abloh was listed on Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2018 and the next year, he was nominated as Menswear Designer of the Year by the CFDA.
Abloh undertook several collaborations including with Warby Parker, Jacob the Jeweler, Jimmy Choo and most notably with Nike in 2017. Abloh was asked to redesign a selection of Nike's best-selling shoes. In 2019, he released a furniture collection in partnership with IKEA.
Abloh also produced artwork over the years, working closely with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. His first solo exhibition entitled Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech opened in 2019 at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. He also explored DJing and even released his first single in 2018.
In 2018, Abloh was appointed artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collections, succeeding his friend and mentor Kim Jones. Abloh is the first African-American to be appointed artistic director at a French luxury fashion house.
He died on Sunday 28 November, 2021 from cancer.
