Fashion, News, pop culture
A Look Back At The Works And Career Of Late Icon Designer Virgil Abloh
Photo: Myles Kalus Anak
Jihem/Wikipedia Commons
A Look Back At The Works And The Brief But Legendary Career Of The Late Icon Designer Virgil Abloh.
BRIEF
Visionary designer and artist Virgil Abloh, who built a clothing empire based on the Duchampian notion that an original design need be altered only 3 percent in order to stand as new, died in Chicago on November 28 of cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare form of cancer. He was forty-one years old. Trained as an architect, Abloh turned his attention to clothing after a Rem Koolhaas–designed building he spied being constructed on a college campus inspired him to apply the strictures of architecture to the structure of garments. The founder of unicorn fashion house Off-White, renowned for consistently predicting trends in a highly volatile industry, Abloh at his death was CEO of that company and the artistic director of the Louis Vuitton menswear collection, the first African American to hold such a position at a French luxury brand.
Some Collaborations Over The Years
2010
Kanye West
Arts
Abloh oversaw the development of several album covers for Kanye West’s creative agency, Donda. The baroque cover for Jay-Z and West’s Watch The Throne was nominated for a Grammy Award.
2017
Warby Parker
Eyewear
True to Off-White’s deadpan humor, the $95 shades were named Small, Medium, and Large.
2017
Nike
Footwear
A testament to the resale value of Abloh’s work, his Nike sneakers fetch five figure sums at Sotheby’s. His remake of Air Jordans sold for over $11,000 yesterday (Nov. 29).
The collection’s name Markerad, or “marked” in Swedish, evokes Abloh’s penchant for tagging objects in Helvetica and scare quotes. Demand for his $500 rugs was so high that IKEA had to hold a raffle to determine who could buy it. The “Keep Off” carpet is currently listed for $20,000 on Ebay.
2018
Rimowa
Luggage
Abloh designed a completely transparent carry-on as a playful foil “to the obsessive talk of privacy culture.
2018-21
Evian
Packaging
Abloh designed the brand’s first attempt at producing a bottle entirely from recycled plastic. He also served as Evian’s sustainability advisor.
2021
Mercedes Benz
Automobile
The last of Abloh’s high profile collaborations will be unveiled at Art Basel Miami this week.
SOME ART PIECES/PROJECTS
Virgil Abloh
American, born 1980
“Dollar a Gallon” III, 2019
Mixed media, Corten Steel Coated
Private collection
In collaboration with Virgil Abloh, IKEA presents MARKERAD, a collection of contemporary items designed to make a statement in your first home. The limited-edition collection consisting of 15 products.
Comparing notes on creativity between Virgil Abloh Shabaka Hutchings for “Jazz Hours”
EXHIBITION REVIEW Can Virgil Abloh Fit in a Museum? “Figures of Speech” in Chicago tries to capture the essence of a prodigious fashion designer. It’s an endeavor with radical juxtapositions, clever products and some missed opportunities. By Jon Caramanica PDF: THE NEW YORK TIMES – 23, AUGUST 2019 (C11-C-12) Read the article on nytimes.com
Off-White™ c/o Nike “Dunk Low”
Design exercise c/o Off-White™ for Nike to celebrate the history and cultural importance of the “Dunk Low” while drawing a link to current times. The external lacing and updated details falling under the 3% logic presented in the “Figures of Speech” book released earlier in ©2019.
“A LECTURE ON POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS” IDEAS ON RACE IN AREAS OF ART, DESIGN AND CURRENT CULTURE BASED ON PAST EXPERIENCES.
“Laboratory of Fun” – Off-White FW21
OFF-WHITE x Nike Air Jordan 1 THE TEN
ABOUT BRANDING
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST
Virgil Abloh’s brief but incredible career as an all around artist and his dedication to his craft 24/7 365 makes him an inspiration to future artists, creators, designers. His legacy will live on and so will his creations thank you for being an inspiration to creators of color all over the world.
Virgil Abloh
1980 – 2021