Virgil Abloh has joined Louis Vuitton as their new menswear designer — but who is the man taking the driving seat at one of the world’s most famous brands?
Vuitton is a DJ as well as a designer and is a long-time friend of Kanye West, having worked as his creative director for many years. He was the art director on Kanye and Jay-Z’s 2011 album Watch the Throne.
A former architect, the 37-year-old has his own brand called Off-White, billed as “a fashion label rooted in current culture at a taste-level particular to now”, and previously worked along with Kanye at Fendi as an intern.
A Ghanaian-American, Abloh was born in Chicago and grew up in Illinois. He started out studying architecture and civil engineering, receiving his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MA in architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
After moving into fashion at Fendi he launched his own brand Pyrex Vision, which later led to him creating the haute streetwear label that is Off-White.
Through the highly-praised brand, on which he will continue to work, he has previously collaborated with Jimmy Choo, Nike and Moncler, and is in the process of working with Ikea.
As a DJ Abloh has performed across the world, and has a regular residency in Las Vegas.
Abloh replaces a close friend, British designer Kim Jones, in the role at Louis Vuitton. He revealed the news with a simple picture of one of the French fashion house’s famous luggage chests.
Abloh said in a statement: “It is an honor for me to accept the position of men’s artistic director for Louis Vuitton. I find the heritage and creative integrity of the house are key inspirations and will look to reference them both while drawing parallels to modern times.”
His first show will be staged in June during Paris men’s fashion week.