The fashion world is paying tribute to Virgil Abloh following the shocking news of his death on 28 November at the age of 41, following a long battle with a rare form of cancer. The Off-White founder and artistic director of menswear at Louis Vuitton was “not only a genius designer, a visionary, he was also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom”, said LVMH chairman and chief executive, Bernard Arnault.
Donatella Versace called the boundary-breaking designer, who remained determined to open doors for others following his own stratospheric ascent in the industry, a “creator for the history books”. “He always worked for a greater cause than his own illustrious career,” said British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful. “To open the door to art and fashion for future generations, so that they—unlike himself— would grow up in a creative world with people to mirror themselves in.”
Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli said Abloh changed the game of fashion with his “disruptive humanity and curiosity”. A-Cold-Wall* founder Samuel Ross, one of many young Black designers who was mentored by Abloh, posted a black square and a broken heart emoji after news of his death was confirmed on Sunday. Supermodel Gigi Hadid, a regular on Abloh’s Off-White runways, said the designer would be “forever adored, forever magical”.
See these and more fashion world tributes to Virgil Abloh below.
This article was originally published on British Vogue.
