Virgil Abloh is a fashion icon. After founding Off-White in 2012 and becoming Louis Vuitton’s artistic director for menswear in 2018, Abloh died from cancer on Sunday, 28 Nov, only a few days before his final show for the brand. To celebrate his life and legacy, Louis Vuitton dedicated its spring/summer 2022 collection to the late designer — including a rainbow-coloured statue of Abloh, playful holograms, a star-studded front row, and 82 looks from Abloh’s previous and current collections.
Hosted in Miami Beach, Louis Vuitton’s Virgil Was Here tribute show was attended by Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, North West, Bella Hadid, Joe Jonas, Pharrell, Silvia Venturini Fendi, Kerby Jean-Raymond, Edward Enninful, and LVMH chairman and chief executive officer Bernard Arnault. The designs were modelled by some of Abloh’s dearest friends, including rappers Kid Cudi, Offset, and Quavo, with Kanye dedicating a special performance of Adele’s “Easy on Me” by his Sunday Service Choir ahead of the Virgil Was Here show.
“Virgil was not only a friend, great collaborator, creative genius, visionary and disruptor, but also one of the best cultural communicators of our times,” said Louis Vuitton chairman and CEO Michael Burke in a press statement. The show ended with fireworks and words from Abloh: “Life is so short that you can’t waste a day subscribing to what someone thinks you can do vs. what you CAN do.”
Watch Louis Vuitton’s Virgil Was Here spring/summer 2022 tribute show ahead.
