Fashion: symbol of diversity, Louis Vuitton designer Virgil Abloh is dead
Stylist Virgil Abloh.
FRANCOIS GUILLOT AFP / File
Text by: Silvano Mendes
2 min
Virgil Abloh, the artistic director of the men's lines of the Louis Vuitton house, died of cancer on Sunday, November 28, at the age of 41.
Of Ghanaian origin, the American designer was one of the first black designers to run a large luxury house.
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"
The LVMH group, Maison Louis Vuitton and Off-White have the immense sorrow to announce the disappearance of Virgil Abloh, struck down this Sunday November 28 by a cancer which he fought for several years
", announced the world leader of luxury on Twitter.
The LVMH group, Maison Louis Vuitton and Off White have the immense sorrow of announcing the disappearance of Virgil Abloh, struck down this Sunday, November 28 by a cancer that he had been fighting for several years.
pic.twitter.com/MMAFKf8bki
- LVMH (@LVMH) November 28, 2021
“
We are in shock at this terrible news.
Virgil was not only a designer of genius, a visionary, he was also a beautiful soul and a man of great wisdom,
”wrote Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, quoted in a press release.
Abloh had been the artistic director of men's collections at Louis Vuitton since 2018. He first became known thanks to the success of his own brand, Off White, founded in 2013 and of which the LVMH group had also become majority owner this year.
Trained as an architect, intermittent DJ and designer in abundance, he was famous for his creativity and hyperactivity, involved in numerous artistic and commercial projects, ranging from capsule collections with Nike to rugs at Ikea. Very quickly, he embodied a young, multi-hat and sometimes ironic new generation, which perfectly corresponded to the luxury consumers of tomorrow - a characteristic which has not escaped the LVMH group.
He, who started in fashion by customizing t-shirts and shirts for his concept store in Chicago - old stocks that he bought at $ 80 apiece and then resold them at $ 550 each once his logo was stamped - became in shortly the synonym of planetary cool. But this American, born around Chicago to parents from Ghana, was above all a symbol, since he was one of the first black designers to run a large luxury house - after Ozwald Boateng at Givenchy at the beginning of the years. 2000.
Abloh was also very aware of what he stood for and said after his appointment in 2018 that he hoped to be able "to
show a young generation that there is not just one way to be." the person in this kind of position. It is fantastically modern
. “Since then, he has opened the door to names such as Grace Wales Bonner, Kerby Jean-Raymond, Kenneth Ize and Thebe Magugu, who have found in him a source of inspiration in a world that has not always been very open.
The designer's death sparked many reactions in the world of fashion, but also music, to which he was very close.
“
My heart is broken.
Your work as a human and as a spiritual being will live on forever.
You are with the Master now, shine,
”Pharrell Williams tweeted.
My heart is broken
Virgil you were a kind, generous, thoughtful creative genius
your work as a human and your work as a spiritual being will live forever
Sending love and light to your wife, children, family and day ones
you're with the Master now, shine
🙏🏾,
P
- Pharrell Williams (@Pharrell) November 28, 2021
►
To read also: Virgil Abloh brings a breath of diversity in fashion
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