The largest luxury brand in the world, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, has just named Kanye West’s long time creative director, Virgil Abloh to the role of creative director for the LV brand. Abloh has had a long history of his own success here in the United States with his haute street wear label Off-White. Along with continuing to design clothes at his own brand, Abloh will now join a rare, yet elite group of black designers from around the world who have been at the top of a French heritage house. Ozwald Boateng, from Britain, was the designer for Givenchy Men from 2003 to 2007. Also, Olivier Rousteing is currently the creative director at Balmain.
In a phone interview with the New York times, Abloh expressed his excitement at being named the creative director at one the most powerful European luxury house. He said,
“I feel elated. This opportunity to think through what the next chapter of design and luxury will mean at a brand that represents the pinnacle of luxury was always a goal in my wildest dreams. And to show a younger generation that there is no one way anyone in this kind of position has to look is a fantastically modern spirit in which to start.”
Abloh plans on moving his family to Paris to take on this job. This move and this appointment is a big deal in the world of fashion and in the world of “street fashion”, which is highly influenced by hip hop culture. If anyone has noticed, many luxury brands have started to mix their traditional styles with the trending styles of street fashion, which has overtaken the fashion industry. Because luxury brands have grabbed onto the tails of street brands, luxury brands have seen a boost in sales. According to the NY Times,“intermingling of the luxury and street wear sectors, which helped boost global sales of luxury personal goods by 5 percent last year to an estimated 263 billion euros (about $325 billion in today’s dollars), according to a recent study by the global consulting firm Bain & Company.”
Virgil Abloh is a first-generation Ghanaian-American raised in Illinois. He has no formal education in fashion, his mother was a seamstress and taught him the craft; Abloh studied architecture and civil engineering. Micheal Burke, the CEO of Louis V met Abloh twelve years ago when Abloh and Kanye west were interns at Fendi for six months, where they were paid $500 per month; Burke enjoyed them both being in the fashion studio. He says they brought a “new vibe and were disruptive in the best way”. Ten years later Abloh founded Off-White and became Kanye’s creative partner.
Off-White today is a street wear hit! in 2015, this brand was a finalist for the LVMH Young Designer’s prize. Abloh received the Urban Luxe award at the British Fashion Awards, Off White has over 3 million Instagram followers, and they almost caused a commotion outside of the Off White runway show at Rue Cambon, from fans rushing to get in.
At 37-years old, Abloh will redefine luxury fashion, and we will get the pleasure of watching. Abloh told the NY Times:
“I want to use Louis Vuitton’s history with travel to really look at different cultures around the world to help make all our humanity visible. When creativity melds together with global issues, I believe you can bring the world together. Fashion on this level can really open eyes.”
Syllabus Magazine, the Carolina’s source for Music, Culture and Fashion
