On the one year anniversary of his passing, we revisit some of our most memorable discussions with the boundary-breaking designer
Last year, on November 28, Virgil Abloh passed away from a rare form of heart cancer. Though his inner circle knew he was suffering, Abloh’s unexpected death arrived like a sucker punch, rupturing the fashion industry in a way that people have since struggled to suture back together. From Pyrex, to Been Trill, to Off-White, to Louis Vuitton, Abloh completely redefined what it meant to make clothing. And yet to call him a designer was always a limiting description. So abundant was Abloh in his contributions to culture, that by the time he died at the age of 41, his professional titles numbered DJ, producer, brand founder, architect, and visual artist.
Obituaries appeared to reach a consensus with “creative polymath” in the wake of his sudden passing, but even that was a flattening. In the fervour and elasticity of his practice, it was as if Abloh always knew that his days on earth would reach an early end – and he continued to work until he no longer had the strength. In the year that passed since then, a slew of exhibitions, scholarship funds, collaborations, and fashion shows have dedicated themselves to the designer’s memory – grappling to quantify the expansive loss of such a revolutionary individual. Today, we remember Virgil Abloh in his own words, as we travel back over some of our favourite conversations that continue to inspire.
In this piece, taken from the autumn 2021 issue of Dazed, Virgil Abloh unpacks the misconceptions that have collected around his design practice. Often regarded as an absolute futurist, his approach to fashion was to recontextualise history – referencing the likes of Goldie and Nigo – and draw a line between the originators of culture and contemporary luxury. Read on here.
“WE WANT DIVERSE FASHION”
Taken from the autumn 2020 issue of Dazed, this conversation between Virgil Abloh and Caleb Femi chimed with one of Abloh’s core motivations: to put young Black talent on a global stage. Femi – who was the first Young People’s Laureate for London – soundtracked Louis Vuitton’s SS21 show after Michaele Coel suggested Abloh get in touch. Click here to read more.
“STREETWEAR? IT’S DEFINITELY GONNA DIE”
In this 2019 piece, Virgil Abloh predicts the death of streetwear, which was a prism through which his work had always been understood. From that famous Tommy Ton fashion week photo, to his first Off-White show in Paris, to his eventual appointment at Louis Vuitton, Abloh traces the shifting attitudes towards fashion and the role of a luxury designer. Take a look at that discussion here.
“COLLECTIONS ARE LIKE MINI TIME CAPSULES”
Ahead of his SS19 show for Off-White – which featured a series of co-branded Nike pieces – Abloh went long on the purpose of collaboration, his muse Serena Williams, and how he approached fashion as a mediator between creativity and politics. See more of that here.
“I LOVE INTELLECTUALISING MUNDANE SHIT”
In 2014, Virgil Abloh spoke about the importance of “intellectualising dumb shit”. In mega-mixing high and low culture, like those infamous Haçienda-striped industrial belts, the designer gave young people the ability to philosophise about fashion in a way that previously felt out of reach. Read on here.
“I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE DOOR IS OPEN”
Perhaps one of the most famous collaborations that Virgil Abloh spearheaded was when he joined forces with Nike on ‘The Ten’ in 2017. To coincide with the project, the designer launched Off Campus, a series of talks that brought together Grace Wales Bonner, Michèle Lamy, and Kim Jones. There, he went long on the role that brands can play in community and education. Click here to revisit those discussions.
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