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Virgil Abloh just landed one of the most coveted gigs in fashion, making history as Louis Vuitton’s new men’s artistic director. The young creative is LV’s first African-American fashion designer and just one of three Black designers to ever lead a major French fashion house— a feat he shares with Olivier Rousteing at Balmain and Ozwald Boating, who led Givenchy from 2003-2007.
The Chicago native first entered the scene as Kanye West’s former art director, overseeing creative vision for his 2011 Watch the Throne album and planting the early seeds for his Yeezy label. The 37 year old would eventually change the game with his social message-driven brand, Off-White, an award-winning line that blends streetwear with high fashion and has landed exclusive collabs with Nike and Warby Parker among others. “I think of it as kind of the ultimate collaboration,”Abloh told The New York Times of his new role.
The visionary designer will relocate to Paris and debut his first collection during men’s fashion week in June.