The fashion industry mourns the death of Virgil Abloh 

Virgil Abloh, the artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear, founder of streetwear brand Off-White, a true disruptor and one of the most lauded designers of this generation, has died of cancer at the age of 41.  The contemporary trendsetter passed away after a two-year battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, cardiac angiosarcoma, […]
April 13, 2022

Virgil Abloh, the artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear, founder of streetwear brand Off-White, a true disruptor and one of the most lauded designers of this generation, has died of cancer at the age of 41. 

The contemporary trendsetter passed away after a two-year battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer, cardiac angiosarcoma, according to a post on his Instagram account on Sunday. It’s impossible to overstate the impact Abloh’s work had not only on contemporary fashion, but on art as well. Well, throughout his career, Abloh redefined what it meant to be a designer. His influence as an American designer worldwide and his vision of the industry broke boundaries. He believed in innovation and disruption and changed our industry for the better. Virgil Abloh was the essence of modern creativity and if we now associate streetwear with luxury it is largely due to Abloh’s postmodernism, always unafraid to disrupt and question the status quo. A lover of collaboration, Abloh joined forces with brands like Nike and Ikea in sportswear and home décor; he designed album covers for rappers like Jay-Z and Kanye West, with whom he famously interned at Fendi. “Through it all, his work ethic, his endless curiosity and his optimism never wavered,” Abloh’s family continued. “Virgil was driven by his dedication to his craft and his mission

to open doors for new ones and create pathways to greater equality in art and design. He often said, “Everything I do is for the 17-year-old version of myself,” deeply believing in the power of art to inspire future generations. 

He worked until the end of his life, posting about new denim designs, a collaboration with designer Tremaine Emory, on his Instagram just a day earlier. In a Nov. 19 post, Abloh addressed the research and design side of his study, joking, “None of that works on Instagram.” 

“Good design has a critical role to play in addressing today’s problems and driving behavioral change, so that we can have a positive impact in shaping our future and the future of this planet,” Abloh wrote just nine days earlier. of his death. “My whole premise is to lift the next generation of designers, innovators and creative minds out of atypical trajectories.” Our prayers are with Abloh’s family: his wife Shannon Abloh, his sons Lowe Abloh and Gray Abloh, his sister Edwina Abloh, as well as his parents Nee and Eunice Abloh.