THE VIRGIL EFFECT

The sudden and tragic passing of the revolutionary American designer Virgil Abloh in December 2021, cut short the career of one of the most intriguing, talented and arguably controversial figures in the fashion world. At only 41 years old, Abloh had already redefined an industry, seamlessly merging luxury and streetwear in an unprecedented way. An architect turned musician, artist and designer, he defied any restrictive labelling on his creativity. Instead, Virgil Abloh considered himself a ‘maker’. An inspiration to young creatives, Abloh not only revolutionised the luxury world with his own brand Off-White, but also reshaped the fashion landscape as artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear. When Abloh was appointed by Louis Vuitton in March 2018, he made history as the most powerful black executive in the world’s most powerful luxury group.

Since it’s founding in 2013, Off-White amassed popularity at an almost exponential rate. Whilst worn obsessively by hip hop’s iconic artists (Kanye West, Jay Z, Future, Rihanna and Cardi B), Abloh himself attributed its success to a generation of customers that appreciates niche brand identity. In less than a decade, the prolific designer has produced no shortage of memorable designs and has also wielded his significant visual talents to launch a number of impressive collaborations with everyone from artist Takashi Murakami to brand giants like Nike, Ikea and Evian.

Abloh’s architectural background was evident in Off–White’s design philosophy. The iconography paid homage to America’s urban cities: white arrows, diagonal lines, industrial yellow and black. His designs flaunted streetwear in a unique light, one that he stated in the brand’s name and mission statement as ‘defining the grey area between black and white’. He will go down in history for poking fun at fashion - notably Off-White’s ironic signature quotes - that challenged consumers to view everyday items as luxury ones. Off-White brought a renewed sense of reverence to streetwear by solidifying its place amongst other high fashion brands. There was a clear cultural impact to this - Abloh’s goal was to make the demographic he came from more commercially acceptable. He was often quoted saying that everything he did was for the “17 year old version of myself”.

As a creative designer, Abloh broke all the rules and changed the luxury fashion game. Storied houses are now aping the hype-techniques of streetwear brands - from limited-edition runs to its adoption of drop culture. But this is far from the most important legacy that he is leaving behind. Not only was he continuously inspired by youth culture for his designs, he was also dedicated to making room for others. Posting on Instagram shortly after the news of Abloh’s death, Edward Enninful, the Editor in Chief of British Vogue said “He always worked for a greater cause than his own illustrious career: to open the door to art and fashion for future generations, so that they — unlike himself — would grow up in a creative world with people to mirror themselves in.”