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Virgil Abloh, the newly appointed Louis Vuitton Menswear Artistic Director, can now add another title to his expansive multi hyphenate. Time magazine this week named the Chicago native one of its most influential people of 2018.
A collective that features the likes of President Trump, Prince Harry, Oprah Winfrey, Rihanna, Cardi B and many, many others, Abloh makes the list for the very first time as a trailblazing pioneer in the world of style and design. Abloh’s inclusion is unique in that streetwear – or sneaker culture – isn’t typically represented on this annual list. But as it continues to merge closer with high fashion and the line between the two is all but buried under the sand, Virgil represents the new-school changing of the guard. And while he’s not nearly the first designer to make the Time list, he is one of the few African-American males to make the cut.
His brand, OFF WHITE, alongside his partnership with Nike and impending Louis Vuitton collection, are just a few of the things Virgil is known for. Before his name rang louder than most, Abloh was widely known for his role as Kanye West’s creative collaborator. He’s also a DJ who’s played all over the world.
More intimately, and what makes this news so incredible, is that Virgil despite his long list of accolades is one of the most relatable creatives of our time. To tap into that, and the vision that sets him apart, famed Japanese artist and friend of Abloh, Takashi Murakami, wrote a short story about his endearing friend.
“A little over 10 years ago, Virgil Abloh, relatively fresh out of graduate school, visited my office in Tokyo while working with Kanye West. I had no way of recognizing the shy youth’s talents that were to blossom in the years to come.”
Murakami went on to talk about working with Virgil, his character, and his influence on youth culture. “Kids’ fervor for the stripe patterns and arrow marks he created for his fashion label, Off-White, is not a passing trend; rather, it shows how Virgil’s young followers, with their unclouded eyes, have been seeing right into the core of his creativity all along. With his appointment as artistic director for Louis Vuitton’s menswear, his full merit will be understood even more widely around the globe.”
Abloh’s first Louis Vuitton collection is set to debut later this year. Additionally, new releases from “The Ten” with Nike are also scheduled throughout 2018.
