Virgil Abloh, Lous Vuitton designer and off-white founder, dies at 41
By .
Virgil Abloh, fashion’s high-profile black designer and the creative mind behind Louis Vuitton’s menswear collections, died Sunday of cancer, said Vuitton’s owner LVMH.
The French luxury goods giant said Abloh, 41, had been battling cancer privately for years.
“Virgil was not only a genius designer, a visionary, he was also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom,” LVMH billionaire Bernard Arnault said in a statement.
LVMH, Louis Vuitton and Off White are devastated to announce Virgil Abloh’s death on Sunday, November 28, from cancer he had been battling privately for several years. pic.twitter.com/CytwZLvSFu
– LVMH (@LVMH) November 28, 2021
Abloh, a U.S. citizen who also worked as a DJ and visual artist, had been the men’s artistic director of Vuitton, the world’s largest luxury brand, since March 2018.
His arrival at LVMH marked the marriage between streetwear and high-end fashion, where he mixed sneakers and camouflage pants with bespoke suits and evening dresses. His influences included graffiti art, hip hop and skateboarding culture.
The style was embraced by the group as it tried to breathe new life into some brands and attract younger customers.
In July this year, LVMH expanded its role and gave him the mandate to launch new brands and collaborate with existing ones in a number of sectors beyond fashion.
See link »
LVMH also bought a 60 percent stake in Abloh’s Off-White label as it folded into the liquor-to-jewelry conglomerate.
Abloh drew on messages of inclusivity and gender fluidity to expand the popularity of the Louis Vuitton brand and intertwined themes of racial identity into his fashion shows with poetry appearances and art installations.
With a view to reaching out to Asian consumers due to the coronavirus pandemic, the designer sent his collections of colorful suits and outerwear with utilitarian taste to Shanghai last summer, where many brands canceled fashion shows.
“Virgil Abloh was the essence of modern creativity,” said an Instagram post by Alexandre Arnault, one of Bernard Arnault’s sons and executive vice president of product and communications at American jeweler Tiffany, which LVMH bought this year.
The news of Abloh’s death was met with tributes on social media from people like rapper Drake, singer / producer Pharrell Williams, actor Idris Elba and more.
My heart is broken
Virgil you were a kind, generous, thoughtful creative genius
your work as a human being and your work as a spiritual being will live forever
Sends love and light to your wife, children, family and day one
you are with the Master now, shine
,
P– Pharrell Williams (@Pharrell) November 28, 2021
Too early Virgil. You will be missed by this world man.
– Idris Elba (@idriselba) November 28, 2021
Virgil man. Shit.
– Certified? Uestover (@questlove) November 28, 2021
I wish we lived in a world where we could celebrate the living instead of celebrating them as they go. Rest in peace to my brother Virgil! You were loved.
– Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) November 28, 2021
RIP VIRGIL
– VINCE STAPLES (@vincestaples) November 28, 2021
rest in absolute peace. shocking. tak Virgil
– Kehlani (@Kehlani) November 28, 2021
(Report by Silvia Aloisi; Edited by John Irish and Catherine Evans)
© Reuters
Click to see Gallery
Stars we have lost in 2021
.
No comments: