LVMH has appointed Off-White designer Virgil Abloh, who came to prominence as Kanye West’s creative director, to lead men’s design at Louis Vuitton. His first show for one of the oldest and most powerful European houses in the luxury business will take place in June during Men’s Fashion Week in Paris.
The appointment, widely rumoured in recent months, follows the departure of Kim Jones, Abloh’s predecessor at Louis Vuitton, in January. Last week, it was announced that Jones would become the men’s designer at LVMH-owned Christian Dior, replacing Kris van Assche.
Kim Jones, Abloh’s predecessor at Louis Vuitton is now at LVMH-owned Christian Dior.
“Having followed with great interest Virgil’s ascent since he worked with me at Fendi in 2006, I am thrilled to see how his innate creativity and disruptive approach have made him so relevant, not just in the world of fashion but in popular culture today. His sensibility towards luxury and savoir-faire will be instrumental in taking Louis Vuitton’s menswear into the future,” said Michael Burke, Louis Vuitton’s Chairman & CEO.
Virgil Abloh with Naomi Campbell at his Off-White™ S/S 2018 show.
“It is an honor for me to accept the position of Men’s Artistic Director for Louis Vuitton. I find the heritage and creative integrity of the House are key inspirations and will look to reference them both while drawing parallels to modern times,” stated Virgil Abloh.
Who is Virgil Abloh?
Born in Rockford, Illinois in 1980, Virgil Abloh is an artist, architect, engineer, creative director, and designer. After earning a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin Madison, he completed a Master´s Degree in Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology in a curriculum founded by Mies van der Rohe. It was here that he learned not only about modernist design principles but also about the concept of multi-disciplinary working.
Virgil Abloh’s brand Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh™ was started in 2012 as an artwork titled “PYREX VISION.” In 2013, the brand premiered a seasonal men’s and women’s fashion label showing runway collections during Paris Fashion Week since 2015. Abloh has also presented his work at major design institutions around the globe by the likes of Harvard Graduate School of Design, Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and the Rhode Island School of Design.
In 2019 he will have a major exhibition of past and current work at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago, Illinois. In 2015, Virgil Abloh for Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh™ is among the finalists of the LVMH Prize. He has been awarded various prizes, most recently winning the British Fashion Awards Urban Luxe award and International Designer of the Year at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in 2017.
Off-White™ S/S 2018
For Off-White™ ‘s S/S 2018 collection, Virgil re-imagines what Princess Diana’s wardrobe would look like if she were alive today – right down to the much-anticipated shoe collaboration with Jimmy Choo, which is available to shop here.
Plastic-covered stilettos: Jimmy Choo x Off-White collaboration campaign image.
Get the look: Crepe blazer, crepe mini skirt
, Diana silver-tone crystal clip earrings
, and C/O Jimmy Choo Anne 100 PVC-wrapped satin pumps
, all by Off-White™.
LoL, Sandra
Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton, © Fabien Montique, Courtesy of Pyrexforsale and Off-White™
