Virgil Abloh: 'You Don't Have to Be a Designer to Be a Designer' (2024)

FAQs

Did Virgil Abloh actually design? ›

In 2009, Virgil Abloh was interning at Fendi alongside a certain rapper by the name of Kanye West. The pair hit it off almost immediately, and according to Vogue, they teamed up to launch a boutique named RSVP in Chicago.

Born in Rockford, Illinois, in 1980, Virgil Abloh is an artist, architect, engineer, creative director, and designer. After earning a degree in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, he completed a master's degree in architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Abloh was best known for being Louis Vuitton Men's Artistic Director and the CEO of the streetwear label Off-White—but his talent extended way beyond the world of fashion. Abloh was also an architect, engineer, DJ, and musician.

“Life is so short that you can't waste even a day subscribing to what someone thinks you can do versus knowing what you can do.” The words belong to Lil Durk's close friend Virgil Abloh, the fashion powerhouse behind the brand Off-White who passed away from cancer in November of 2021.

When asked in interviews where his inspiration for fashion design came from, Virgil Abloh would often cite a Rem Koolhaas building—one he had long admired since his architectural studies at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Though Virgil Abloh held his role as artistic director of menswear at Louis Vuitton (PARIS:MC.PA -0.32%) for almost four years, it often felt as though he was only just getting started.

In August 2019, José Neves, owner of Farfetch, purchased New Guards Group, the parent organization of Off-White for US$675 million.

The rapper and music producer will succeed Virgil Abloh and “lead Louis Vuitton toward a new and very exciting chapter,” the brand said in a statement.

“Virgil was not only a genius designer, a visionary,” Bernard Arnault, collector and chairman of LVMH said in a statement. “He was also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom.”

Who is Virgil Abloh to Kylie Jenner? ›

Kylie Jenner paid tribute to designer Virgil Abloh, who passed away in November, at the 2022 Met Gala with her Off-White dress. See the message the beauty mogul penned about her late friend.

Kim Kardashian is honoring the memory of her late friend, fashion designer Virgil Abloh. Kardashian, 41, shared photos on Instagram from Abloh's final fashion show, which took place last fall. The Louis Vuitton fashion designer died at age 41 in November after a private, two-year battle with cancer.

As a creative who not only triggered the streetwear phenomenon but redefined what “creative” meant in the world of fashion, Abloh's far-reaching influence became all the clearer when seen in retrospect, which, alongside his qualities of humanity, warmth, empathy, and wisdom, marked him out as a true once-a-generation ...

Virgil was driven by his dedication to his craft and to his mission to open doors for others and create pathways for greater equality in art and design.

Apart from running his own fashion label, Off-White, and leading Louis Vuitton's menswear atelier, Abloh remained relentlessly in the spotlight through collaborations with brands like IKEA, Nike, Levi's, Vitra, and Mercedes Benz.

Virgil, 41, who was men's artistic director of Louis Vuitton and Kanye's one-time protege, passed away in 2021 at the age of 41 and Kanye has revealed that he admired and was jealous of Virgil's career, although he hated his designs.

MC Serch and Pete Nice—along with their DJ Daddy Rich, who is Black—were among the first caucasians to make credible rap music.

Emory, shared a screenshot of West's Instagram post where the rapper brought up the death of Abloh, writing in his caption: "[there are] more important things like how late the show was or how Bernard Arnault killed my best friend.”

Abloh was raised in Rockford, where he attended Boylan Catholic High School, graduating in 1998. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. He received his Master of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in 2006.

Off-White was born out of Abloh's “3%” design approach, a premise that assumes a new design could be created with a 3% change to an original. His metamodernist aesthetic was akin to sampling — taking tenets from hip-hop's remix culture to bring innovative products to life.

How much are LV trainers designed by Virgil Abloh? ›

In the end, the sneakers, which ranged in size from five to 18, averaged more than $100,000 per shoe.

Production for the products is high quality

Another thing that drives up the price is the way the company makes its products. Louis Vuitton handbags are handmade by highly skilled craftsmen. They use materials like high-quality canvas or leather that make the bags long-lasting and beautiful.

The same year, he was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people. In 2021, he sold his Off-White shares to Loius Vuitton. Off-White had 56 stores in 40 countries at the time of the sale. As artistic director at Loius Vuitton, Virgil Abloh earned an annual salary of $10 million.

25.3 million dollars: that's the record-breaking amount fetched with the sale of a complete collection of sneakers created by the late designer Virgil Abloh with Nike.

Off-White

Abloh himself once shared that the luxury fabric used, the employees' efforts and Customs—among many other factors—are what makes Off-White more expensive than other brands like it.

Musician Pharrell Williams to replace Virgil Abloh as Louis Vuitton menswear designer. Luxury goods company LVMH's top label Louis Vuitton said on Tuesday it has hired musician Pharrell Williams to head artistic direction of its menswear designs.

The employee discount at Louis Vuitton can range from 30% on regular in-store items to up to as much as 90% on out-of-style items. Employees also receive discounts on brands other than LV. Dior, Sephora, and Marc Jacobs are designer brands for which discounts are available for employees.

On November 23, 2022, Alessandro Michele left the post of creative director of Gucci. On January 28, 2023, it was announced that Sabato de Sarno would be Gucci's new creative director. De Sarno previously worked for Prada, Dolce & Gabana, and Valentino.

Louis Vuitton is delighted to welcome Pharrell Williams as its new Men's Creative Director. His first collection for Louis Vuitton will be revealed next June during Men's Fashion Week in Paris.

Born in 1980 to Ghanaian parents, Abloh grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. He obtained his bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2002 and went on to study architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

What did Virgil Abloh invent? ›

His furniture design

After founding Off-White, Abloh created Grey Area, an arm of the company that focused on furniture. He also did a number of memorable furniture collaborations, including the popular Markerad collection for Ikea and a three-piece collection with Swiss design company Vitra.

Virgil Abloh, 41, died in November 2021 following a battle with cancer. Louis Vuitton just announced Pharrell Williams will succeed him as the brand's creative director. Abloh designed memorable looks worn by stars including Solange, Rihanna, and Hailey Bieber.

In an Instagram Story, she shared that the bridal look was created to honour the late Off-White designer, Virgil Abloh, who passed away from cardiac angiosarcoma in November 2021 at the age of 41.

Stormi, who Kylie shares with musician Travis Scott, completed her look with a matching outfit finished off with a pair of fashion-forward sunglasses.

Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott's daughter Stormi Webster already has an eye-watering net worth for a four-year-old and it's only set to soar!

The most private member of the Kardashian family, Rob, is the most removed from the spotlight. He distanced himself from Keeping Up With The Kardashians after being diagnosed with diabetes and gaining weight. Rob had his first child, daughter Dream Renee Kardashian, with his now ex-fiance, Blac Chyna.

Kirby Jenner is a performance artist and internet celebrity. He rose to popularity for his Instagram account where he poses as Kendall Jenner's fraternal twin. He has received nominations for the Webby and Shorty Awards in Social Humor, Best Photography, and Parody Accounts.

Rob Kardashian is the only son of Kris Jenner and brother to the Kardashian sisters. He is best known for appearing on Keeping Up With The Kardashians, but also runs his own sock line Arthur George.

A lot about Abloh's person—his height; his tendency to speak in full, knotty paragraphs; his cultivated gait—was striking, but nothing so much as his temperament. He was extremely even-keeled, placid.

The brand name itself has an echoing take – it is defined as the grey colour zone in between black and white. The creative is experimenting with getting a classic silhouette to a fresh direction, something that caters for the young millennial generation.

Is Off-White high quality? ›

Ultimately, the reason why Off-White has higher prices than other streetwear brands is due to their use of premium-quality materials that went into the process of making each item. That and the history tied to every individual product sold in the store.

Two hundred pairs of Nike Air Force 1 sneakers created by the late fashion designer Virgil Abloh has sold for a combined $US25. 3 million ($35.53 million) at a Sotheby's auction. The highest price paid, at $352,800, was for a pair of size five shoes that carried an original high estimate of $US15,000.

The song is a tribute to fashion designer and entrepreneur Virgil Abloh, Lil Durk's brother D Thang and rapper King Von. Abloh died in November 2021 and was a friend of Lil Durk.

He later became an artistic director at Louis Vuitton, and started his own label, Off-White. His style effortlessly marries high fashion with streetwear. It's his work with Nike, though, that has solidified Virgil Abloh as a rock star in the eyes of sneakerheads.

Drake's private jet is a Boeing 767 nicknamed “Air Drake”, the $185 million Boeing 767 plane was redesigned by Virgil Abloh.

An electric Abloh-designed production car – the Project Maybach concept was imagined as all-electric – might perhaps have been a more fitting tribute to the partnership. As Wagener says, though, Abloh was an auto enthusiast, and his last Maybach is a distinct, elegiac celebration of a particular kind of luxury.

Abloh was famed for his “3 percent rule,” by which he believed that you only needed to change an object by 3 percent to create something new.

THE LOUIS VUITTON HARNESS

The designer's monogrammed harness became the It-item of the show and cropped up on various red carpets throughout the following year, heralding a new era for the French fashion house.

The reality star worked with two designers to make her dream jet, including Tommy Clements and Waldo Fernandez. Tommy owns Clements Designs, a Los Angeles-based company known for its “easy glamour and grand intimacy” in interior design. Fernandez is also Los Angeles-based and holds Waldo's Designs.

Drake's climate impact is larger than many other celebrities with private jets because of the enormous size of his personal aircraft. The $185m Boeing 767, which has been called “Air Drake”, typically seats hundreds of people for commercial flights but has been modified to the rapper's own tastes.

How much did Drake pay for jet? ›

Step inside Air Drake. Never one to shy away from publicity, Drake broke the internet in March last year with a video that sparked envy in every viewer.

On July 20, LVMH, which owns Louis Vuitton, Dior, and many more luxury brands, unveiled that it acquired a majority stake in Virgil Abloh's Off-White. The deal gives LVMH 60 percent interest in the Off-White trademark while Abloh will retain a 40 percent interest and continue as the brand's creative director.

Though Virgil Abloh held his role as artistic director of menswear at Louis Vuitton (PARIS:MC.PA -0.32%) for almost four years, it often felt as though he was only just getting started.

For the fashion designer Virgil Abloh, the polymath of his cohort, who died on Sunday of a rare cardiac cancer, offensively too young, the center was architecture. He studied as an architect, and the training never really left him, even as he ventured into other arts.

Abloh's Maybach will be limited to just 150 examples that will be sold in the United States. Pricing is upon request (contact your local dealership), but given that the Mercedes-Maybach S680 is expected to start above $215,000, it's safe to say this model will be even pricer.