Inspiring rise to notoriety.
‘09-‘13
Started out interning at Fendi w/ Yé, which, between the two, began a collaborative relationship .
After about a year, Kanye West appointed him Creative Director of DONDA, which led to him being Artistic Director for the Jay Z/Yé collaborative album, Watch the Throne in 2011.
In 2012 he launched his first streetwear couture company, Pyrex Vision, were he bought Ralph Lauren deadstock at $40, and sold for upwards of $550. He closed its doors after a year because it was only an artistic experiment instead of a commercial enterprise.
’13-’19
In 2013, he started his second company, Off-White. (His first fashion house). "In a large part, streetwear is seen as cheap. What my goal has been is to add an intellectual layer to it and make it credible." - Abloh on his inspiration creating Off-White.
Later, he went on to open his first concept store in Tokyo, Japan, where he opened the " FURNITURE " arm of Off-White, " Grey Area".
In 2017, he was comissioned by Nike to re-design some of the companies' best selling shoes. His innovative creative direction and artistic foresight showed that he has what it takes to complete a monumental project such as creating furniture for apartments and houses in conjunction with IKEA, and in our opinion, sealed his position as the first male of African descent to be named creative director of Louis Vuitton's menswear ready line, and one of the few blacks, globally, to hold such position at a French fashion house.
Virgil Abloh's genius continues to reach new heights with every piece, every installment in a store or even just DJing. You can follow him, his brand and his journey on Instagram @Off_White