Iconic fashion designer Virgil Abloh died on Sunday after battling cancer for over two years. The 41-year-old, r and founder of the label, Off-White, and also worked as the creative director for Louis Vuitton menswear, after the luxury conglomerate bought his label.
Abloh suffered from ‘a rare, aggressive form of cancer, cardiac angiosarcoma’ stated an announcement on his official Instagram page, and underwent treatment in private.
Abloh’s greatest contribution, perhaps, is the way in which he brought streetwear to the world of haute couture, leading him to be regarded as the pioneer of luxury streetwear.
Virgil Abloh was born in Rockford, Illinois Chicago on September 30, 1980, to Nee and Eunice Abloh, immigrants from Ghana.
Abloh was a civil engineering student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received a master’s degree in architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology, but ended up with a love for fashion, which he learnt the basics of fashion from his mother, who designed clothes.
In 2012, Abloh began designing garments after completing his architectural training. His initial design was a screen-print on a Ralph Lauren rugby shirt, which, many noted for its roots in post-modernist art based on his background.
Abloh and Off-White collaborated with legacy brands such as Nike, Ikea, Perrier and Mercedes-Benz among others, and revolutionized the world of fashion and the limits it could be taken to.
Virgil Abloh wore many hats architect, DJ, rapper, furniture designer, engineer .Abloh was a good friend of Kanye West’s and had designed the covers for West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album as well as West’s joint album Watch the Throne with Jay-Z among others.