Virgil Abloh named Louis Vuitton’s new men’s artistic director
French fashion brand Louis Vuittion has named Virgil Abloh as its new men’s artistic director. His first show for the brand will be staged at Men’s Fashion Week in Paris in June.
Born in Rockford, Illinois, Abloh, founder of high-end streetwear brand Off-White, studied civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and completed a master’s degree in architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology. The artist, architect, engineer, creative director, and designer was the art director for hip hop stars Jay-Z and Kanye West’s album “Watch the Throne” (2011). He established his own fashion brand in 2012.
“Having followed with great interest Virgil’s ascent since he worked with me at Fendi in 2006, I am thrilled to see how his innate creativity and disruptive approach have made him so relevant, not just in the world of fashion but in popular culture today. His sensibility towards luxury and savoir-faire will be instrumental in taking Louis Vuitton’s menswear into the future” said Michael Burke, Louis Vuitton’s chairman & CEO, in an official announcement.
Meanwhile, Abloh said, “It is an honour for me to accept the position of men’s artistic director for Louis Vuitton. The heritage and creative integrity of the house are key inspirations and I will look to reference them both while drawing parallels to modern times.”
He won the British Fashion Awards Urban Luxe Award in 2017 and was named International Designer of the Year at the GQ Men of the Year Awards, also in 2017. Next year, he will have a major exhibition of his past and current work at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago, Illinois.
In a recent interview with STYLE, Abloh said, “For me [fashion]’s always been about experimenting, exploring ideas and having fun with things I didn’t think I could do.”
We can’t wait to see his new collection in three months’ time!
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Abloh says he appreciates the luxury maison’s heritage and creative integrity