Virgil Abloh
Virgil Abloh earned a degree in civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. He followed with a master's in architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Influenced by the Bauhaus, youth culture, graffiti, and skateboarding, he wanted to utilize his creativity and dreamed of becoming a designer who showed at Paris Fashion week.
Abloh's fashion career started when he met Kanye West in Chicago. They quickly became friends through their creative vision and were eager to enter the fashion world.
In 2009, Abloh and West landed an internship at Fendi in Rome. They developed new skills that would further inspire them to work in fashion.
Abloh became West’s creative director. He was credited as the art director on West's 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. As West's creative director, Abloh was exposed to highly influential individuals within the entertainment industry, which would later benefit his career.
Abloh started a brand named Pyrex Vision. He printed “Pyrex 23” on Ralph Lauren’s flannel shirts and sold them for $550. Although Pyrex Vision gained a following, the brand was threatened with a lawsuit from Pyrex.
Abloh decided to develop an entirely new brand, one that was based in Milan and show during Paris Fashion Week. The concept for Off-White was born, and the label officially launched in 2013.
In March of 2018, Virgil Abloh was appointed men's artistic director of Louis Vuitton. He merged streetwear with high fashion and shattered the boundaries as the first Black artistic director at Louis Vuitton.
Virgil Abloh has collaborated with a number of well known brands. Nike, Levi's, Mercedez Benz, Moncler, Ikea, Chrome Hearts, and Sunglass Hut are are among the brands that have creatively collaborated with Abloh.
On November 28, 2021, the world lost a creative genius. Virgil Abloh inspired many individuals through his art, music, fashion, design, and creativity. His vision and legacy will live on through other creators.