Tyler Brock

“Virgil Abloh”: The Rockstar of Fashion Design

Throughout history, there have been trailblazers. Music, Art, and Fashion have all been curated by influencers who weren’t afraid to take a risk. For every Van Gogh, there is A Virgil Abloh.

Abloh, a close friend of Kanye West’s, has recently taken fashion by storm by being appointed the head designer at Louis Vuitton. Before that though, he was just another intern at Fendi, happening to be in the same class as Mr. West. The two began a collaborative relationship in the Rome offices of Fendi, which stemmed into a business friendship that blossomed into a massive success. 

Virgil had his first foray into fashion was in 2009 whenever he bought some deadstock Rugby shirts from Polo by Ralph Lauren and T-Shirts from Champion, and was originally just an artistic expression dubbed “PYREX VISION” and included screen printed designs. As a homage to his hometown of Chicago, the designs were supported by a number 23, the number of the greatest basketball player ever who called Chicago his second home, Michael Jordan (He’ll be important later in Abloh’s career). Those shirts now sell for over $800. 

Later, in 2012, Abloh opened a gallery in Chicago with fellow DONDA (Kanye’s creative team) member and Chicago Native, Don C. The RSVP Gallery was not only an art gallery, but also a “boutique for all things dope”. “PYREX VISION” shut down in 2013, Paving the way for his own fashion house. The same year, he created his second, and most successful line, the High-Fashion Streetwear brand known as “Off-White©️”, Specializing in what the RSVP gallery declares “All things dope” . Soon, the little streetwear brand that could made its way into Barneys New York, a high fashion market, and Colette, once dubbed “The Trendiest Store In The World” that was located in Paris, France. The brand began getting major media attention through supporters like Kanye West, A$AP Rocky, Jay-Z, Rihanna,  and Beyonce. The brand later did a collaboration with Nike. Virgil “Remixed” (He’s also a DJ)  some of Nike’s most Iconic shoes in a Collection known as “The 10”. These sneakers were highly limited and sold out in SECONDS, reselling for hundreds to thousands of dollars. One of these sneakers was the Air Jordan 1, once worn by the man virgil paid homage to in his first ever collection. “The whole experience was very full circle,” Said Abloh, “I grew up watching this guy and wearing his shoes, and now I’m grown up, and his kids want mine.” As well as “The 10”, Virgil made a pair for Serena Williams, considered the greatest female athlete ever. Hers shared some similarities with “The 10”, but instead was called “THE QUEEN”. Serena’s collection included a neon green and pink accented “Silver Bullet” Air Max 97 and Nike Blazer. Virgil also made her a catsuit for the French Open.

Along with his collaboration with Nike, he has worked with: IKEA, KITH, Champion, Planned Parenthood and Artists John Hulzer and Takashi Murakami.

Recently, Virgil has been appointed the head of Louis Vuitton’s menswear division. This decision sent a ripple throughout the fashion industry as no one had ever seen anything like his style, a mix between the streets of New York and The Runways of Paris. His first show was attended by Kanye, Kid Cudi, Chance The Rapper, Serena Williams, Phil Knight, and many other Culture-Defining Characters. One man that was present was the Business Of Fashion  Editor-At-Large, Tim Blanks. “The Palais Royale on Thursday was unlike any fashion event in recent memory, with its anticipatory outpouring of goodwill. For all its scale, it felt almost like a family affair," Blanks had to say of the show.

Virgil Abloh has already become the rockstar of fashion and is still relatively new to the game, so only time will tell how he will affect the world of fashion, music, art and culture.