KEEP SMILING, VIRGIL

To be honest, I’m struggling finding the words to start this piece.

Virgil Abloh died? We lost the most inspiring and influential creative person of our times? Is this for real?

Dealing with the loss of someone can be handled in many ways. I tend to not talk about it, especially if its someone who really meant something to me. I never met or talked to Virgil, and still feel some kind of connection to him. Let’s call it admiration? Maybe. But for some reason I know he also felt this connection; with me and with the whole world.

Humble. Dedicated. Singular. Fearless. Just a hint of words which describe Virgil. A more than justified reason to honor and remember him.

Despite being head at one of the biggest brands worldwide, his path wasn’t smooth. Son of Ghanaian immigrant parents to the USA, Virgil interest towards postmodern architecture led him to study more on the field side to engineering; a clear influence that can be seen in in his first ever fashion collection TM blancos. And as a creative soul, he also fiddled with music, becoming DJ under the name “Flat White”.

Still, perhaps he’s better known for redefining luxury fashion. Entering the industry as intern for Fendi with the one and only Kanye West, it was in 2013 when he founded Off- White, to later become the very first Black artistic director of Louis Vuitton men’s wear in 2018. And art was always present.

Between the months of June and September 2019, Virgil achieved something that many career artists very much dream of: a presentation at the Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art. “Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech” showed his career highlights and crossover interests with art, music, fashion, architecture and design. A major feat before the age of 40 don’t you think? It was in this same year when he even curated his own gallery exhibition “Coming Age” in Los Angeles at “Little Big Man Gallery” very popular amongst names such as Nobuyoshi Araki.

He saw art everywhere, even in furniture. Not only he released his own line hand by company Vitra during Art Basel 2019 and others at Design Miami, but also signed with the Parisian studio “Galerie Kreo”. He has also designed for IKEA, Evian and McDonalds’ Big Mac cartons.

Stepping into fashion, nothing like the Nike x Off-White partnership. But even better was its collaboration with the Louvre including t-shirts and hoodies celebrating their Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition.

And what about his very first collection with Louis Vuitton and its NY 5th Avenue window installation inspired by the Wizard of Oz? Or FW2020 menswear inspired by surrealist Rene Magritte, presenting a catwalk fallen straight from one of his cloud paintings?

Even only days when gone, his final collection for SS2022 took place in Miami. The first tribute. “Virgil Was Here”. And many others are coming; like “Walk in the Park” in Sydney. A three-month Luis Vuitton universe featuring Abloh’s designs, joyous rainbow hues, and a 3D sculpture of Virgil 7.5 meters up into the sky.