Virgil Abloh: The visionary of the fashion industry
A cancer diagnosed in 2019 and kept under wraps until his death brought Virgil Abloh's life and distinguished career to a cruel end. It was hard to believe as the news spread across social media on Sunday evening. Abloh, who until recently was still in the public eye, promoting young designers, giving interviews and fine-tuning his collections - he is no longer with us.
Yet it is not only the fashion industry that has lost one of its greatest visionaries. Virgil Abloh was regarded beyond the borders as a role model for a young, black generation seeking representation in the otherwise "white" fashion industry. And the 41-year-old was aware of this until the very end. As the indirect mentor of an entire generation, he accepted the task and fulfilled it with flying colours. The family man, who leaves behind his wife Shannon and two small children, was always at full power, stemming his collections from Off-White to Louis Vuitton and placing himself at the top of the fashion industry.
Virgil Abloh was such an exceptional talent precisely because he didn't start his career in the typical fashion metropolises and thus brought a new perspective to fashion that it so desperately needed: street style. He studied architecture in Chicago and became known to a broad stratum through his first fashion line in 2012, Pyrex Vision, not least because of his contacts with rap star Kanye West.
Then in 2018, a year before his cancer diagnosis, he seemed to have arrived at the fashion Olympus: He was appointed menswear designer for Louis Vuitton and showed his first collection to thunderous applause Yet he was not only given roses in advance but was initially regarded with skepticism. But the indefatigable optimist that Virgil Abloh was, only let this spur him on. What followed were cooperations, such as with IKEA, which also gave a broad stratum the opportunity to purchase a piece of the fashion talent.
On 28 November 2021, Virgil Abloh closed his eyes forever. What remains is a legacy that could not be greater for a fashion designer who only came to prominence in the last 10 years and who will continue to light the way for many generations to come.
