You’re doing amazing, sweetie. On March 26, Virgil Abloh officially became the 1st Black artistic director of menswear at the oldest European house, Louis Vuitton. Despite his lack of formal fashion education, Abloh has blazed a trail that presents him more than qualified for his newly acquired position.
The 37- year- old hailing from Illinois is the founder of the streetwear label, “Off-White” and has served as Kanye West’s creative director for 14 years. Off- White has collaborated with brands such as Jimmy Choo and Nike, in addition to a soon to be collab with Ikea. Off-White is the baby that has blessed Abloh with awards such as the 2015 finalist for the LVMH Young Designers Prize. The experience he has gained from his clothing line and working closely with Mr.West was so impressive that the British Fashion Council named him Streetwear Designer of the Year, making him the 1st black designer to hold this title.
The Vogue Editor and Chief, Edward Enninful, commends Abloh’s appointment at Louis Vuitton by saying, “Virgil is one of the few designers who truly marries street culture with high fashion—and the first black designer to be given such a position in the gilded halls of LVMH. His appointment is a step in the right direction for diversity, as well as a particularly exciting creative moment for the industry.” Twitter users also showed ample support and are looking forward to seeing Abloh’s work at LVMH:
Abloh’s first displaying of his work will be during the Paris Fashion Week show, the creme de la creme of runaways. “It is an honor for me to accept the position of men’s artistic director for Louis Vuitton. I find the heritage and creative integrity of the house are key inspirations and will look to reference them both while drawing parallels to modern times.” – Virgil Abloh.
The world is eagerly waiting and watching Virgil, but we know you will not disappoint!