Virgil Abloh’s Fashion Legacy in Pictures

For non-fashion folk, their first real introduction to the genius that was Virgil Abloh was Timothée Chalamet’s Golden Globes harness look. Abloh’s harness was first introduced in his Spring 2019 collection for Louis Vuitton and became one one of the designer’s trademarks.

For his debut at Louis Vuitton Menswear, Abloh was inspired by the idea of white light hitting a prism, and the rainbow effect that follows. Besides the obvious reference to his personal label Off-White (the show’s first looks were all white), Abloh’s first collection infused his streetwear aesthetic with LV decadence and was an undeniable success at revamping the French brand.

Way before the pandemic, Abloh was already mixing athleisure with couture. While this tutu creation started out as part of the part of the Serena Williams x Nike Queen collab (with which he helped design), it ultimately served as his main source of inspiration for his athletically inclined Spring 2019 collection for Off-White.

For his sophomore show, Abloh cemented his place in designer history with this re-imagining of the classic LV motif, usually preserved for handbags, now transformed into a utilitarian jacket.

For anyone who thought IKEA couldn’t do streetwear, Abloh instantly proved them all wrong with this 2019 collab. Although the pieces sold out in minutes, the selection included this bag as well as a rug that resembled an IKEA receipt amongst others.

In 2019, Hailey Bieber said “I do” in this custom Off-White wedding dress. “From day one, I said I wanted Virgil,” Hailey told Vogue. “I didn’t want somebody who was a wedding dress designer. I just feel like my style and my street style is such a part of who I am, and Virgil has always been in my corner since the beginning.”

Off-White’s Spring 2020 collection, entitled “Meteor Strike,” perhaps best shows off Abloh’s refined sense of humour, as bags, shoes and apparel all featured meteor craters holes.

Never afraid to push the boundaries, Off-White’s Fall 2020 collection is another example of Abloh combing streetwear with couture in an avant-garde assortment.

Affectionately thought of as the King of Collabs, Abloh worked with New York artist Futura — aka Lenny McGurr — to incorporate spray strokes and hand-drawn alien figures into suits, jackets and denim.

Never one to do the expected, Abloh explored what male suiting looks like in 2020. With six different ideations of a skinny suit alone, the designer was inspired by a calm surrealism, hence the clouds.

Abloh’s campy collection was a much needed remedy during quarantine. Described by the designer as “hypnovisualism,” the virtual show included an animated video by filmmaker Reggie Know entitled “Zoooom With Friends”, which featured cartoon animal “stowaways” jumping aboard LV shipping containers.

As the first Black man to serve as Louis Vuitton’s creative director, Abloh enjoyed exploring the idea of heritage in his work. For LV’s Fall 2021 show, this translated to exploring what it means to be an American, working in Europe, with African roots.

Abloh’s legacy and impact on fashion is impossible to express in merely a few words. But one of the things he did best was up-root gender conventions in menswear. For what is now his final collection at Louis Vuitton, he did just that through the use of the colour pink, puffer skirts and rainbow furs.