The Life and Influence of Virgil Abloh
By Alex Marootian
On Sunday November 28th, the family of Virgil Abloh, founder of Off-White and menswear director of Louis Vuittion, announced his passing after a private battle with cancer since his diagnosis in 2019. He is survived by his wife, children, parents and extended family. Virgil Abloh was the voice of a generation, a vanguard of the luxury streetwear movement and redefined what “luxury clothing” could be. He was a trailblazer for the Black community, being the first African-American menswear designer of a major luxury house and inspired countless voices in underrepresented communities, especially in the extremely white fashion industry. Through Off-White and Louis Vuitton, Virgil showed us all that nothing is out of reach, and most importantly, how to create something out of nothing.
Virgil Abloh was born on September 30th, 1980 in Rockford, Illinois. He grew up heavily influenced by skate and hip hop culture, a prelude to the aesthetics he would be re-introducing with Off-White. He went on to graduate with a Bachelor's Degree in civil engineering and a masters in architecture. Throughout his academic career he was designing t-shirts and writing for a fashion magazine entitled The Brilliance. Abloh’s first steps into formal design started when he became friends with Kanye West. During their internship at Fendi, his relationship with Kanye culminated into Virgil becoming first the head of West’s creative agency “Donda '' and the artistic director of Kanye and Jay-Z’s 2011 collaborative album, “Watch the Throne”. By 2012, Abloh made his first real mark in fashion by founding Pyrex Vision. The brand would buy up deadstock sports jerseys, t-shirts, and shorts and screen print its own name along with images onto the pieces. The brand saw incredible success in 2012, and created the aesthetic that we now know as “luxury streetwear”. Pyrex Vision was worn by many popular rappers and artists such as A$AP Rocky, Kanye West and Pusha T. In 2013, Virgil took his success and newly gained prominence to a new venture, Off-White. From its start in 2013, Off-White shook the fashion industry and pop culture as a whole. Virgil kept his screen printing signature, but now used them on luxurious Made In Italy t-shirts, hoodies, and jackets. He also maintained the sportswear element of Pyrex Vision, often infusing traditionally tailored pieces such as suits and dresses with sportswear materials and silhouettes.
What might be Virgil’s most important contribution to the fashion industry came when he presented his explosive Off-White x Nike collaboration called “The Ten”. This collaboration saw Virgil re-inventing 10 iconic Nike sneakers such as the Air Force One, Jordan 1, Air Max and others with his signature Off-White redesigns. Recognizable by a zip tie attached to the side of the sneaker, material changes, and Nike buzzwords such as “AIR” and “FOAM” printed on the sides of the sneaker, this poppy deconstruction of iconic Nike sneakers captured the zeitgeist and started a revolution. It defined the aesthetic of luxury streetwear as celebrities or tastemakers were never seen without a pair of Nike Off-Whites, proving how runway styles had the ability to translate back into streetwear. It might be obvious now, but this design doctrine arguably wouldn’t have happened without Virgil’s work. His ability to trailblaze a connection between high fashion and streetwear was fully codified when he was appointed to become Louis Vuitton’s menswear designer in 2018.
Virgil’s accession to Louis Vuitton introduced a new chapter to his career, and arguably his most artistically significant. Virgil took his use of colors, logo design, and creative materials to revamp luxury house staples such as suiting and bags. The 90s throwback aesthetic he helped introduce with Off-White was on full display at Louis Vuitton. Oversized suits, fluorescent colors and campy graphic prints melded together to create invigorating shows that were full of energy and expression. A personal favorite is Fall/Winter 2021, which was a heady mix of suits, skirts, and overcoats that played well with any color combination Virgil threw at them. An almost Thom Browne irreverence for corporate designer suiting gave each piece an endearing playfulness and creativity. The collection brings together French, British, and American wardrobe staples to create an idealized wardrobe for the mid-century, mid-Atlantic jetsetter.
And last but not least, Virgil’s reinterpretation of Louis Vuittion’s bags were the perfect match to his eclectic clothing. Louis Vuitton’s first life was as a luggage manufacturer, and as the brand has grown, Louis Vuittion bags have only grown in status and popularity. So it seems extremely fitting that Virgil’s first big success was creating all new designs for the iconic LV bags. A reinterpretation of the “soft trunk” luggage bag is now made as a crossbody with a chain strap and embossed monogram printing. Iridescent and fur tote bags are stunning pieces that just might go down as some of the most coveted Louis Vuitton bags in history.
Shortly after Virgil’s passing, countless other designers and celebrities shared their condolences for Virgil’s passing and their reverence for his work. I personally reflected on the impact of Virgil’s work on my interest in fashion. I was fortunate enough to be gifted a pair of his Off-White Nike collaboration a few years ago, a neon-yellow pair of Air Force Ones. They are the most important piece I’ll ever own. Yohji Yamamoto is quoted as saying “buying a new jacket can be like buying a new life” and that one pair of Off-White’s were able to do that. In their beautiful poppy design, they showed that high fashion was not relegated to wool suits and leather handbags. They, and by extension Virgil, showed me that fashion could be youthful and fun and interesting and most importantly, personally touching. Virgil’s ability to deftly reinterpret yet preserve the bones of great LV bags is a rare skill, one that doesn't come around too often. The ability to see previously untouchable staples as a blueprint for new ideas doesn’t come around too often. The ability to bridge the gap between luxury and streetwear so effectively and honestly doesn’t come around too often. The genius that Virgil Abloh had, and the way he used that genius to trailblaze a new era of fashion most definitely does not come around too often. So, thank you Virgil. Thank you for teaching this generation and many more to question the status quo, and be brave enough to change it.