Style of a generation
O Virgil Abloh was a designer at the cutting edge, in tune with a whole generation
IT only took Virgil Abloh a decade in the limelight to play his part in changing the shape of the fashion industry, democratising luxury fashion with bold collaborations and propelling streetwear from the urban arena to the catwalk.
While sneakers nowadays sell at premium prices, fuelled by collaborations between giants of the sector and major luxury houses, this hasn’t always been the case. Far from it, in fact. It goes without saying that dad shoes, Crocs and all manner of sneakers stamped with the instantly recognisable three stripes or Swoosh logos, haven’t always been paraded at Fashion Week.
And, if he wasn’t a pioneer in the field, Abloh largely contributed to making what was once a counterculture into a culture in its own right, bringing legitimacy to a kind of fashion that was previously ignored, invisible or even derided.
As such, it’s no surprise that the fashion designer, who died on Sunday from a rare and aggressive cancer, came to be nicknamed the “king of streetwear.” But the moniker says nothing of the commitment of this extraordinary designer, who was in turns an architect, a DJ, a stylist, and even Kanye West’s right-hand man.
Because Abloh never stopped working to shake up established codes, democratise luxury fashion, and bring African-American cultures into the spotlight. It was a challenge he met with flying colours, all in the space of just a decade, testifying to the visionary spirit of this tireless creative genius.
From the street to the runway
As far back as 2012, Abloh had the idea of propelling streetwear into the highest realms of luxury, with his first label, Pyrex Vision, although it failed to meet with the hoped-for success.
Although the designer collaborated with big names in music, including Jay-Z and Kanye West, and was recognised in the art world, he was forced to curtail this first brand after just one year.
But that didn’t hinder his desire to make street fashion a highly desirable style of clothing. Founded in 2013, the Off-White label, which taps into a minimalist vibe, rose to the realms of consumers’ favourite luxury brands, very often topping the rankings of the world’s most popular labels.
With more than 10 million followers on Instagram – and nearly seven million for its founder – the label is adored by Millennials as well as Gen Zers, a consumer base that’s hard to win over and retain.
The careful blend of rarity, luxury and streetwear is a sensation, elevating the status of a fashion movement that has been (too) long sidelined, and showing the way to the biggest fashion houses, which have subsequently surfed on a streetwear wave that has never (totally) subsided.
But Abloh didn’t just put streetwear on top, he also did the reverse, offering everyone the opportunity to access a slice of the luxury world.
Collab king
Collaborations have long been legion in the fashion world, but those uniting different – even totally opposing – worlds were, until recently, a much rarer occurrence.
But Virgil Abloh embraced this approach, working hand in hand with mainstream brands to bring luxury to the masses in some way or another.
Evian, Ikea, Braun, Nike, Levi’s, Champion and Timberland are just some of the brands that Virgil Abloh partnered with, either in his own right or through his Off-White brand.
Not content with bringing together sectors as diverse as they are varied, the designer has never hesitated to unite the luxury and the popular, shaking up the codes of fashion once again.
In 2018, this creativity and avantgarde spirit came to the house of Louis Vuitton, where Virgil Abloh became the creative director of men’s collections – a consecration for a designer who had always advocated for inclusion in the fashion world. And the appointment proved a unanimous hit, while also allowing the luxury house to rejuvenate, and subtly brush off sometimes outdated codes.
In a decade, Abloh succeeded in helping to reinvent, modernise and dust off an industry that was perhaps previously a little too centered around itself. – ETX Studio