The life and career of Virgil Abloh: A retrospective feature story

By Zayvion W.

As the third anniversary of Virgil Abloh’s death looms near, let’s take a look back on the life and career of this famed fashion figure and the legacy he left, especially the influence on current AHS students.

On November 28, 2021 Virgil Abloh passed away at 41 after a private battle with cardiac angiosarcoma. The Off-White founder and Men's Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton was 41 years old. 

According to his bio on Wikipedia, Virgil was born to Ghanaian immigrant parents. These included Nee Abloh , who worked at a paint store , and Eunice Abloh , a seamstress. His mom  taught her son how to use sewing machines and other basics related to clothing design. 

However, fashion is not what he at first pursued professionally.  In 2002, Virgil Abloh graduated with a degree in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin at Madison , and in 2006 he received a master degree. 

In Chicago, outside of school , Virgl was involved with a lot of projects and working as a DJ , designing T-shirts , and writing for the blog The Brilliance. Between earning his degrees, his involvement with the entertainment lifestyle let him to be introduced to Kanye West, who at that time was gaining attention for his work as a music producer. Abloh was hired to be part of West´s creative team in 2007. That was how he first got into fashion and began his catapult to fame, through his chance meeting with West.

Virgil’s first clothing brand was Off White, which he says refers to ¨the gray area between black and white,¨ a description that was befitting for a label that seemingly hovered between streetwear and luxury fashion. Off White gained a lot of attention when Beyonce and Nicki Minaj wore pieces from Off White. Virgil opened Off White’s first flagship store in Hong Kong in 2015. His best known partnership was with Nike with the most iconic styles. Off White x Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG in 2017 are perhaps his most famous shoe.

In 2018 Virgil was named artist director of Louis Vuitton , becoming the first person of color to hold the position. He debuted his first collection that summer during Paris Fashion Week and held this position until his death.   

Asking Carson from AHS about Virgin, he says that he has "studied Virgl for a long time” and he has got a lot of styles from Virgil. Virgil was a hero to him as a fashion designer and a role model. 

You can find more information about Virgil Abloh on Wikipedia or Britannica.