Virgil Abloh: Off-White designer dies at 41 | Virgil Abloh

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Fashion designer Virgil Abloh has died of cancer.

The 41-year-old, who was the creative director of Louis Vuitton and Off-White, has developed cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of the disease, according to an announcement on his official Instagram page.

“We are devastated by the announcement of the death of our beloved Virgil Abloh,” she said. He’s chosen to put up with his battle in private since his diagnosis in 2019, and he’s undergone many challenging treatments, all while running several important institutions covering fashion, art, and culture.

Through it all, his work ethic, endless curiosity and optimism were unwavering. Virgil was driven by his dedication to his craft and his mission to open doors for others and create paths to greater equality in art and design. He would often say, ‘All I do is for the 17-year-old’ , deeply believing in the power of art to inspire future generations.”

Kanye West and Virgil Abloh in the front row at the Louis Vuitton show, June 2018. Photo: Swan Gallet/WWD/Rex/Shutterstock

Abloh has redefined the idea of ​​the modern fashion designer, adding DJ, artist, and furniture designer to his creative arsenal. After training as an architect, he began designing clothing in 2012. His first design, the screen imprint on a Ralph Lauren rugby shirt, set the tone for his future work: a postmodern art fashion piece. Collaborating with everyone from Nike to Ikea, Perrier and Mercedes-Benz, he has taken fashion to arenas it hadn’t been to before, inoculating it with others. Fashionists weren’t amused; “When I was showing at Fashion Week, people would say, ‘This ain’t fashion,'” he told The Observer in 2019. In 2013, he founded his own brand, Off-White, and was appointed head of menswear design at Louis Vuitton in 2018. He was Vuitton’s first black designer and the most prominent black designer in fashion.

Abloh has also been a highly visible figure in rap, designing album covers for Kanye West and Jay-Z’s joint album Watch the Throne, as well as West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy among others and covers for Pop Smoke, Westside Gunn, Octavian, and Lil Uzi Vert. He worked closely with West before becoming a fashion designer. In an interview, the rapper said of Abloh, “I have all these ideas and Virgil is able to design them because he’s a real architect.”

Abloh with Bella Hadid backstage after The Off-White Show in July 2021. Photo: Pierre Sue/Getty Images

Below the post announcing his death, fashion designer Marc Jacobs wrote: “I am so sorry to read this. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones. May you rest in peace and strength, dear Virgil.” “I always love you, Virgil, it’s so shocking,” added Kim Jones of Dior. “Jesus,” said rapper Chance.

“Virgil was not only a genius designer – he was also a man of beautiful spirit and great wisdom,” said Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, owner of both Off-White and Louis Vuitton, in a statement.

He is survived by his wife, Shannon, and two children, Louie and Gray.

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