Quiet class! Virgil Abloh is adding professor to his long list of accomplishments. That’s right, in between collections for Off-White and Louis Vuitton, and fresh off his collaborative coffee table book with Nike, the designer has somehow found the time to go back to school.
Today it has been announced that Abloh will be joining London’s Royal College of Art as a visiting professor. The role will see him present master classes and talks throughout the year as well as share “unique employment opportunities” with the students and alumni. The appointment follows a talk he gave last summer called “A lecture on potential solutions, ideas on race in areas of art, design and current culture based on experiences.”
“It’s with great honour I join the RCA as a visiting professor to reinforce the importance of education and hands-on mentorship of future generations,” Abloh said in a statement.
RCA chancellor, Sir Jony Ive, described Abloh as a “true force for change” and a “powerful combination of creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.” He says the designer’s mentorship will “inspire a new generation of creative innovators to realize the full value of their potential.”
The RCA, a graduate school that has seen the likes of David Hockney, Tracey Emin, Ridley Scott, and Christopher Bailey pass through its hallowed halls, also noted Abloh’s passion for philanthropy, having “recently created a fund to foster equity and inclusion within the fashion industry by providing scholarships to students of academic promise of Black, African American, or African descent.”
This is not the first time Abloh has lent his expertise to students. Back in 2018, he taught classes at the Architectural Association School in London. Check out Abloh’s latest collection for Louis Vuitton above.