Virgil Abloh

"Abloh" redirects here. For the social networking service, see Ablo.

Virgil Abloh
Abloh in 2019
Born(1980-09-30)September 30, 1980
Rockford, Illinois, U.S.
DiedNovember 28, 2021(2021-11-28) (aged 41)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Education
Occupations
Years active2009–2021
Title
Spouse
Shannon Sundberg
​
(m. 2009)​
Children2

Virgil Abloh (/ˈæbloʊ/; September 30, 1980 – November 28, 2021) was an American fashion designer and entrepreneur. A trained architect, Abloh founded his own line of luxury streetwear clothing under the moniker Pyrex Vision in 2012, which he transformed into the Milan based fashion label Off-White in 2013. Abloh was appointed artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collection beginning in 2018, and was given increased creative responsibilities across the LVMH brand in early 2021.[1] Abloh worked in Chicago street fashion, before he entered the world of international fashion with an internship at Fendi in 2009, alongside American rapper Kanye West. Abloh assumed the role of creative director at Donda, West's creative agency in 2010.

The first African-American to be artistic director at a French luxury fashion house when he joined LVMH in 2018,[1][2] Abloh was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world that year.[3] Abloh's design aesthetic which bridged streetwear and luxury clothing was described as transformative by The New York Times.[4] According to The Wall Street Journal, he reached a level of global fame unusual for a designer,[5] and as an inspirational figure, according to the BBC.[6]

  1. ^ a b Friedman, Vanessa (July 20, 2021). "Virgil Abloh Gets a Seat at the Power Table". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  2. ^ Hyman, Dan (May 23, 2019). "Virgil Abloh Has Designs on High Culture". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Friedman, Vanessa (November 28, 2021). "Virgil Abloh, Bold Designer of Men's Wear, Dies at 41". The New York Times. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  5. ^ Gallagher, Jacob (November 29, 2021). "Virgil Abloh Left an Outsize Impact on Global Fashion and Culture". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  6. ^ "Virgil Abloh: How he 'helped black people dream in fashion'". BBC News. November 29, 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.