In my previous blogs I have discussed various influences of fashion including Hybeasts, social media, corporations, price hikes and influencers. At the center of this Virgil Abloh can be found. For those who do not know Virgil Abloh may likely have been one of the most influential persons in fashion. Particularly related to Luxury fashion and streetwear. These two were melded to the point where every major luxury brand adjusted their inventory mimicking various streetwear brands. The metaphorical pyramid where brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Prada and more were all changing. Brands like Pyrex, Yeezy, Fear of God, and “OFF- White”.
Virgil Abloh bridged the luxury and streetwear world through his occasionally controversial designs and all-around monumental productions. He reimagined the world in a form the world has never seen before and in this challenged us all to rethink what fashion is. Fashion for him was not a mere garment but a capsule which allowed one to express their own and view other’s identity.
Virgil’s ideas sat at the nexus of art, music, fashion, and media. He was involved in nearly everything you see in modern pop culture his most prominent relationship was with fellow Illinois native Kanye West. It is no coincidence that these two are so close as Kanye West has had pop culture in a choke hold for the past two decades.
Kanye and Virgil met in 2009 where they both worked for a screen-printing company in Chicago called Custom Kings. They expanded their friendship later when interning at Fendi and Virgil went on to being the art director for “Watch the Throne” by Kanye and Jay-Z which earned a Grammy nod. Additionally, Virgil was appointed as the Art director for DONDA Kanye West’s creative agency in 2010.
The launch of “OFF-WHITE”. Virgil launched his own brand in 2013, it is noted as being the intersection between high end fashion and luxury streetwear. He went in and followed the 3% claiming that if something was changed just slightly it was a completely new idea. He proved this in his collaboration with Nike. He released several different products with variations of style and accents of use or distressing.
This was unheard of as the classic Nike was supposed to be pristine a scuff, a foot mark, or crease on one’s shoe was frowned upon. He took this notion and turned it on its head and not only were this new style of off-white sneakers well liked they held a resale value in the thousands. This price sense Virgil’s passing has skyrocketed on online websites such as StockX and FlightClub.
In 2018 Virgil was appointed as appointed as the Men’s artistic director of Louis Vuitton. After his passing on November 28th LV paid homage in a tribute to his final collection during Miami Art Basel. Virgil was exactly what the fashion industry needed not just what streetwear needed. His influence was monumental, and he will be dearly missed by not just his family, or fashion but the world. Thank you, Virgil, for everything you have given us your 15-year career felt like lifetimes of work.
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