THE FASHION WORLD MOURNS THE PASSING OF VIRGIL ABLOH

Abloh passed away at the age of 41, with few aware that he had been battling a rare form of cancer, cardiac angiosarcoma, since 2019. A creative genius best known for bringing the street to the catwalk, he reimagined the profile of a fashion designer, merging streetwear, music and high fashion, and shattering glass ceilings as the first black creative director at Louis Vuitton.

His partnership with Kanye West catapulted Abloh from the skate and DJ culture of Chicago to the heights of the fashion world, first with his own red-hot label Off-White, and then to the apex of the traditional luxury industry in Paris.

His cancer diagnosis came just a year after he was appointed as head of menswear for Louis Vuitton, becoming the first black person to take an artistic director role at a top French fashion house.