Fashion World Reacts To Virgil Abloh’s Death

"Devastated", "broken-hearted" ... After the announcement, on November 28, of American designer Virgil Abloh’s death, at the age of 41, of a rare form of cancer, the fashion industry paid eloquent and sincere tribute to themenswear artistic director of Louis Vuitton.

The news was announced to the whole world on November 28, at the end of the day, through an official press release from the LVMH group: “LVMH, Louis Vuitton and Off White are devastated to announce the passing of Virgil Abloh, on Sunday, November 28th, of cancer, which he had been battling privately for several years”. "We are in shock to hear this terrible news," continues Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH. "Virgil was not only a brilliant designer, a visionary, but also a beautiful soul and a man of great wisdom."

Virgil Abloh, menswear artistic director of Louis Vuitton and founder of luxury streetwear label Off-White, was one of the most influential fashion designers of his generation. A slasher, coming from a multi-faceted generation, but also architect, engineer, D.J. and visual artist whose multiple collaborations are countless. A visionary, a bubbly creative, always on the move, whose sudden disappearance could not be predicted at only 41 years old.

"An exceptional man"

Reactions of the fashion world were quick. The French Fashion and Haute Couture Federation immediately paid tribute to him via its president, Ralph Toledano: “Virgil Abloh was a visionary fashion designer. Driven by his enormous creativity, he has transformed the codes of fashion, founded an incredibly successful label and brought all his talent and cutting-edge sense of innovation to Louis Vuitton. But above all, he was an exceptional man for his humanity, his openness to others, his kindness of heart and his willingness to break barriers”.

Similarly, on Instagram, the creators and artistic directors of the biggest luxury fashion houses had immediate reactions. Kim Jones, current artistic director of Dior homme and Fendi, to whom Virgil Abloh took over as head of Louis Vuitton’s menswear in 2018, mourns the loss of his friend as he wrote on Dior's official Instagram account: "one of the kindest people you could ever meet, many great times spent traveling the world and hanging out in hotel rooms…going through Japanese magazines and laughing and talking about ideas. My thoughts go out to Shannon, their children, and the rest of his family”.

A voice of every possible 

Pierpaolo Piccioli, creative director of Valentino, also paid tribute to him with these words: “We met thanks to Jun [Jun Takahashi, founder of the Undercover label] some years ago, and I went to this event where they were both DJing, we left each other with the promise that sooner or later we should have made some music together, the three of us. The more I look for the right words to express my feelings in this moment, the more I have this memory of him, an amazingly talented young man, designer, father, artist, full of life and creativity, he changed the game of fashion with his disruptive humanity and curiosity, and I am sure that all of that will stay here with us”.

As for Alessandro Michele, creative director of Gucci, he posted a photo of the designer during his first fashion show for Louis Vuitton menswear collection with these words: “May your kindness illuminate the world of angels. Until we meet again”. While Stella McCartney whispered to him: "Rest in peace and fly high ... You are and will always be a star of grace and beauty”. On his account, Olivier Rousteing (Balmain) posted a photo hugging him, as he wrote: “By your art, your vision, your W O R D S, you made it clear that everything is possible. I remember us in Paris dreaming of fashion even before that everything started for us”. 

A “cool detector”

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac painted a drawing that sums up who the American was, the son of Ghanaian immigrants who became king of streetwear and one of the few black designers at the head of a French fashion house. “I met Virgil Abloh over ten years ago, in my old studio on Vauvilliers street. He accompanied Kanye West who was developing his PASTEL fashion project. We had spent a long moment talking about image and concept. Virgil had a radar, a cool detector, he knew how to perceive the elements of disruptive "accidents", sources of inspiration, seeds of ideas. (...) "

And pointing out: “A few years later he carried out his street revolution with Off-White then in the heart of Louis Vuitton […], where he showed in menswear an extraordinary talent in disrupting codes, transforming all the iconic references of street culture, skate, hip-hop, basketball, sneakers with the great references of French style, tailoring, saddlery work, jacquard loom’s tradition... For a globalized and digital world, while being committed to making the world of fashion ever more inclusive. By building bridges between design, architecture, fashion and music, Virgil Abloh awakened the interest and passion of a growing generation, which he generously supported. He had this spirit that will continue to inspire them and make them want to create a world in their image”. Proof that his aura will continue to hover over fashion for a long time.