In one of the biggest news items to make headlines this week, Chicago native Virgil Abloh was announced as the head of men’s wear for none other than Louis Vuitton. The creative force behind his brand Off White which has collaborated with the likes of Nike, Givenchy and more, Abloh has made a name for himself by pushing the envelope of design and aesthetics alongside longtime friend Kanye West.
The announcement came via a New York Times piece and the 37-year-old appears to be wasting no time, already making immediate plans to relocate to Paris and get to work. In the Times piece, Abloh explained the moment he learned of his new job, available below. Check out the whole piece here and keep an eye out for plenty of exciting news in the wake of this announcement.
“Virgil Abloh, the founder of the haute street wear label Off-White and a longtime creative director for Kanye West, will be the next artistic director of men’s wear at Louis Vuitton, one of the oldest and most powerful European houses in the luxury business.
He becomes Louis Vuitton’s first African-American artistic director, and one of the few black designers at the top of a French heritage house. Olivier Rousteing is the creative director of Balmain, and Ozwald Boateng, from Britain, was the designer for Givenchy men’s wear from 2003 to 2007.
“I feel elated,” Mr. Abloh said via phone on Sunday, adding that he planned to relocate his family to Paris to take the job at the largest brand in the stable of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the world’s largest luxury group. “This opportunity to think through what the next chapter of design and luxury will mean at a brand that represents the pinnacle of luxury was always a goal in my wildest dreams. And to show a younger generation that there is no one way anyone in this kind of position has to look is a fantastically modern spirit in which to start.”