Virgil Abloh

Virgil Abloh was a trailblazing fashion designer and artist. As artistic director of Louis Vuitton men’s wear and the founder of his own brand, Off-White, he broke barriers as a prolific visionary with an expansive approach to design. He changed the landscape of the fashion industry by combining elements of hypebeast culture with luxury. His clothing has been described as more than just fabric but “totems of identity,” by The New York Times.

His creative talent doesn’t end with fashion. During his life, Abloh’s work drew comparisons to groundbreaking artists like Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons. The prolific designer teamed up with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami to create ARROWS AND FLOWERS, an emblem of two worlds joining together in unison.

In 2021, LVMH promoted him to a new position that would allow him to work across the group’s 75 brands. Time magazine previously named Abloh one of the most influential people of the year. In November of 2021, Abloh sadly passed away at 41 after a two-year battle with a rare cancer called cardiac angiosarcoma. As one of the most prominent Black designers, he influenced the fashion world to make it a more inclusive place.

“There are people around this room who look like me,” he said in an interview with The New York Times. “You never saw that before in fashion. The people have changed, and so fashion had to.”