FS Reads: A Homage To Virgil Abloh.
If there is one person that every fashion designer and sneakerhead looks up to, it is Virgil Abloh. It is unimportant to question why, but if you are new to the world of fashion and sneakers, you should not stop reading this article. In today’s FREEMAG blog, we talk about Virgil Abloh and his remarkable life.
Abloh grew up with a passion for skateboarding, which he attributes to sparking his early interest in fashion. He also became interested in DJing, which became an important aspect of his career. Abloh met the American rapper, Kanye West while studying Civil Engineering at the University of Wisconsin. Ye was so impressed by his skill that he appointed him as his 'Creative Director' in 2002.
"I started off as a kid who didn't care what my education was."
- Virgil Abloh
Over years, Virgil's numerous initiatives in the next few years included the development of a retail space gallery, collaboration with Heron Preston and Matthew Williams in the Been Trill collective, and the establishment of his venture Pyrex Vision which he later shut in 2013 and started a revamped version of it called ‘Off-white’. Fun fact: Even now, people are selling counterfeit versions of Pyrex vision.
In 2018, Virgil became the first African-American artistic director for Louis Vuitton. His collection for the French company made a debut the same year. Celebrities like Rhianna, Kim Kardashian, and Kanye West made an appearance at the show. Not to forget over 3000 students lined the runaway to embrace the next chapter of Louis Vuitton. After the show ended, Abloh and West were seen exchanging an emotional hug.
“I operate by my own rules, in my own logic, and I’m not fearful.”
- Virgil Abloh
Lastly, it's vital to mention Virgil Abloh's partnership with Nike, which has proven to be one of the most iconic. He reconstructed 10 classic Nike silhouettes which blew the whole sneaker community. Abloh reconstructed classics like Jordan 1, AirMax 90, AirMax 97, Blazer, Hyperdunk, Air Force 1, and more technical models like AirVapormax, Air Presto, and Vaporfly. We all know what happened after the collection was out. It only took a few seconds before everything was sold out and was being sold at the resale market for astronomical prices. The same happened with the Nike x Off-white ‘The 50’ collaboration. Get the full scoop of his ‘The 50’ project here.
Virgil Abloh was born September 30, 1980, and we lost him on November 28, 2021, due to a rare form of cancer. The legacy of the barrier-breaking black designer will live on forever.