RUNWAY, FASHION WEEK

Virgil Abloh’s Final
Louis Vuitton Collection

By The Rebag Team, Jan. 21, 2021

Before his untimely death, Virgil Abloh sealed his legacy.

The final Louis Vuitton Men’s show by Virgil Abloh served as a retrospective of the designer’s last season at the French fashion house, paying homage to elements of his eight seasons as artistic director there. The final looks — white ensembles with angel wings — served as a farewell to the iconic designer.

“Through this lens, the membrane between reality and imagination is nonexistent. Dreams can come true,” read the show notes for Louis Vuitton Menswear’s Fall/Winter 2022 collection. If Virgil Abloh showed the world anything, it was that you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it. The designer inspired countless young people before succumbing to cancer at 41 last November.

Titled Louis Dreamhouse, his final show for Louis Vuitton Menswear encapsulated his tenure at the French fashion house through his penchant for streetwear, fashion-forward suiting, and art. The show opened with a monochromatic black suit, the jacket cinched at the waist, alluding perhaps to his death. There was even imagery of the grim reaper.

The accessories ranged from briefcases reinterpreting Louis Vuitton’s signature Damier print with a reflective surface, to paint can-shaped bags, and tie-dyed carryalls. Vibrant baseball caps were embossed with the Louis Vuitton monogram. There were nods to artists Giorgio de Chirico and Gustave Courbet, whose work was on a number of looks. Abloh brought together the old and the new, and his love for both contemporary and classical culture. Abloh sealed his place in history with his massive oeuvre, and even more important, he taught us to dream big.