RIP Louis Vuitton Artistic Director, Off-White Founder & Cultural Icon, Virgil Abloh

Louis Vuitton men’s artistic director, Off-White founder and cultural icon, Virgil Abloh passed away Sunday of cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, which he had been battling privately since being diagnosed in 2019.

During his legendary lifetime, Abloh successfully brought streetwear into the luxury world, inspired generations and transcended cultural boundaries. In addition to securing design collaborations with a wide range of iconic brands, like Nike, Mercedes-Benz and Evian, plus with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, he was committed to keeping the door open for diverse talent, raising $1 million for a scholarship fund for Black fashion students last year.

Born in Illinois, of Ghanaian parents, Virgil Abloh earned his degree in civil engineering, before going off to get his master’s in Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

2012 found him launching his first label, Pyrex Vision with a line of screen-printed Ralph Lauren flannel shirts. The following year, Abloh he continued his rise in the ranks with the release of Off-White in late 2013, and it was only up from there. 

Joining Louis Vuitton in March 2018, his first show in Paris marked a new chapter in fashion: the arrival of streetwear in high fashion, and the first time a Black designer was given artistic control of a major luxury brand.

Thinking back to that iconic photo at 2009’s Paris Fashion Week, with his crew that included Kanye West, Don C, Chris Julian, Taz Arnold, and Fonzworth Bentley, the world had no idea of the sheer amount of ideas, talent and creatively that Abloh was harnessing.

Virgil Abloh’s death comes two days before his Miami showing of his spring 2022 Louis Vuitton collection. Earlier this week he post a preview, with the caption, “Miami, I have an idea…” Virgil Abloh was 41, and leaves behind a wife and two children.

Prayer and condolences go out to all of his family, friends, and fans 🕊