Virgil Abloh was one of the popular designers in the world of modern fashion. Also known as the Karl Lagerfeld of his generation, he was a creative genius when it comes to multitasking in terms of business and creative design. Abloh is also known for being Louis Vuitton’s menswear artistic director and founder of the Italian luxury fashion brand, Off-white.
High street-end fashion will never be its name without Virgil Abloh. He was one of the pioneers who brought the roots of classic streetwear from hip-hop and skating culture—which is now highly recognized globally. He first rose to fame as Kanye West’s creative director—they even interned together at Fendi in 2009.
Abloh’s magic was really genius. He also collaborated with IKEA, Evian, Rimowa, Jimmy Choo, and fast food chain McDonald’s.
ABLOH’S CREATIVE PROCESS
In designing, you can never go wrong with mostly traditional. His works share a common thread to any designers and traditionalists present. He tweaks his mundane designs in order to form a new one—withstanding out of the ordinary. Abloh’s interventions were grounded on how the object looks, less of its meaning. He was very fascinated in shapes. In fact, he even had a remake of Mercedes Benz wagon updating a harsh Jeepish cube into the rectangle.
Apart from things can own, Abloh’s style was never limited. He covered things any person could buy or hold. From Mercedes Benz sports wagon to Braun stereos, Evian bottles, and even Moet & Chandon.
ANOTHER LEVEL OF ARTISTRY
Virgil Abloh’s designs were deeply rooted by contemporary art. Well, he earned masters in Architecture that’s why it’s nearly impossible to separate different art forms now. His actual creations were minimalistic, advertising-informed and unavoidably popular. He already made a name for himself that is one of the books.
He had been also employed on Kanye West’s creative team, helping to design album covers, merchandise and concepts for concerts. He was also known for having his solo museum shows. Abloh refused to be defined by disciplinary boundaries, moving fluidly from fashion to art. He first collaborated with the Japanese artist at Murakami’s Kaikai Kiki art gallery in Tokyo, before their work was shown across Gagosian Gallery’s outposts in London. After that, Paris and Beverly Hills in 2018.
Abloh’s first solo museum, ‘Figures of Speech’, a survey of his art, fashion and design, opened at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Chicago in 2019.
MCA’s chief curator said that, “This show examines the choices Virgil Abloh has made, the media he works with, and the context of his artistic inspiration. His projects have unfurled with intention, precision, critique, historical awareness, cultural sensitivity, and rigors, and when taken out of the buzzy, frothy context of luxury fashion, celebrity mannequins, and hip-hop one-upmanship, a very measured vision emerges.”
He incorporated all his dedication to form this museum together with architecture and brand design in one. The exhibition had made it all the way to Doha, Qatar before he lost his battle to cancer last November of 2021.
