Designers and celebrities paid tribute to Virgil Abloh at The Fashion Awards in London on Monday, where the late Louis Vuitton and Off-White creative force was honored as a leader of change within the industry.
Abloh, the American-born son of Ghanaian immigrants, who became fashion’s highest-profile Black designer, died on Sunday following a two-year battle with a rare form of cancer.
The 41-year-old, who also worked as a DJ and visual artist, had been menswear artistic director at luxury label Louis Vuitton since March 2018.
“Genius, disruptor … (he) will be missed tremendously by all,” veteran designer Tommy Hilfiger said on the red carpet. “He inspired designers as well as the public.”
Designer and television personality Tan France called Abloh “incredible and a visionary … (who) has done the most beautiful work.”
Abloh, who founded label Off-White, was known for mixing streetwear with high-end suits and gowns while at Vuitton. His influences included graffiti art and hip hop.
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From his history-making work at Louis Vuitton as men's artistic director to unexpected partnerships with Mercedes Benz and artist Takashi Murakami, here's a look back at some of Virgil Abloh's best designs and collaborations. (Pictured: Abloh at the 2021 Met Gala "Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion" at Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021.
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At the 2019 Golden Globes, Timothee Chalamet instantly went viral when he appeared on the red carpet wearing a black sparkling Louis Vuitton harness.
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At the 2018 Met Gala, Abloh dressed and accompanied model Kendall Jenner in a trailing jumpsuit by his brand Off-White. The year's theme was "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination"' and Abloh's white suit featured religious panels designed to look like cathedral stained-glass windows, alongside a pair of blue and white sneakers.
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Virgil Abloh was announced as Louis Vuitton's men's artistic director in 2018 and debuted his first collection that same year, releasing a Spring-Summer 2019 collection. Featuring celebrity models like Kid Cudi and Playboi Carti, he brought his vast experience of streetwear to the house and dressed attendee Rihanna; seen here alongside the designer in a white Louis Vuitton ensemble.
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At one of his last fashion shows for Louis Vuitton, Abloh combined his love of architecture and fashion in a series of adventurous skyline puffer jackets. For his Fall-Winter 2021-22 collection, he paid homage to Paris where the show was held with a jacket covered in the city's landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and Sacre Coeur cathedral among others.
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Throughout his career, the Ghanaian-American designer reinterpreted the American flag in Louis Vuitton collections and through art. The motif appeared frequently in his 2019 Fall-Winter Menswear collection for LV, which was inspired heavily by Michael Jackson, with this desaturated pleated outfit holding court as one of its best pieces. He and Japanese artist Takashi Murakami also reintepreted the flag in a collaborative artwork in 2018 for the Gagosian and the flag also appeared as early as 2013 in his works, with A$AP Rocky draped in it for his black and white album cover for "Long.Live.A$AP" created by Abloh.
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One of Abloh's greatest legacies will be his contribution to the world of footwear, with his long-standing collaborations with Nike setting the standard for innovative sneakers. Featuring Off-White's signature red security tag and tongue-in-cheek quotes, a range of rare sneakers he created called "The Ten" are especially prized by collectors. One of them can be seen above.
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Cloud-prints and futuristic face shields made an appearance at Virgil Abloh's Fall-Winter 2020-21 collection for Louis Vuitton, where models walked through a dreamy setting in blue and white outfits.
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Abloh, who was also a prolific DJ, was deeply tied to the world of music and worked with many major players on their album covers. Kanye West was one of his most frequent collaborators with his album covers for "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy," and "Yeezus" designed by Abloh. Kid Cudi and Jay-Z were also known to have worked closely with Abloh.
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In Louis Vuitton's Fall-Winter 2021 collection, Abloh paid tribute to his Ghanaian heritage with this black and white Kente cloth design. The traditional garment, which is typically woven in bright colors, was given a monochrome makeover by Abloh and later worn by John Boyega at the 2021 Critics' Choice Awards where the actor won for Best Actor in a Limited Series.
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At the 2017 CMT Music Awards, Nicole Kidman deviated from her usual style in a black lacy dress by Off-White. The lingerie-inspired piece featured artful cut-outs and was paired with black heels at the event, where she joined her husband Keith Urban for the show.
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Rainbow brights brought color to Virgil Abloh's Spring-Summer 2022 collection for Louis Vuitton, with Abloh transforming the brand's classic luggage silhouettes into technicolor dreams.
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Abloh designed this Off-White x Nike tutu that tennis player Serena Williams wore to the 2018 US Open. Williams wore a lavender and black version of the outfit.
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Abloh pushed the boundaries of gender throughout his later work, bringing in skirts for men in his 2021 shows. One of the designer's most talked about moments was his longtime collaborator Kid Cudi's appearance on "Saturday Night Live" in April this year, when the rapper appeared wearing a floral dress designed by Off-White in tribute to singer Kurt Cobain, who famously wore a similar gown.
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Virgil Abloh dabbled in the art world from time to time and joined forces with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami for a special 2018 "Technicolor 2" exhibition at the Gagosian, releasing artworks which combined Off-White's logo, signature quote details and more with Murakami's multicolor works. The pair also collaborated on other Gagosian exhibits, including "future history" and "American TOO."
IKEA
Fashion wasn't the only domain Abloh aimed to shake up, as his unexpected collaboration with Ikea saw his pieces sell out instantly. From a brown paper twist on the brand's blue bags to a grey rug printed with the words "Keep Off," he even blew up an Ikea receipt and transformed it into a carpet.
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Hailey Bieber, a longtime fan of Abloh's, turned to the designer for one of the most significant dresses of her life: her wedding gown. The off-shoulder lace gown with its swooping back is believed to be the only wedding gown Abloh ever created and he snuck one of his design hallmarks into her trailing power veil, embroidering the words "Till Death Do Us Part" along its train.
“Everyone here is going to be talking about Virgil, everyone here has been impacted by his brilliance,” actor Gabrielle Union said.
At the awards, where Abloh’s photo was projected on stage, the designer was among 15 individuals and brands named leaders of change for their actions in the past year helping the environment, people and creativity.
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An attendee at The Fashion Awards carried a card featuring Louis Vuitton's logo, accompanied by the words "Love Virgil."
Others on the list included Balenciaga designer Demna Gvasalia, Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele, and Kim Jones, artistic director for Fendi womenswear and couture as well as menswear designer at Dior. Jones was also named Designer of the Year at the awards.
Michele also won the Trailblazer award, while Hilfiger received the Outstanding Achievement award.
“I’m absolutely grateful, appreciative, humbled by it, but happy to be here and happy to still keep the business rolling,” Hilfiger, 70, said.
Demi Moore, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Dua Lipa were among the celebrity guests attending the event, a fundraiser for British Fashion Council charities.
Top image caption: Idris Elba speaks during a tribute to Virgil Abloh on stage during The Fashion Awards 2021 at the Royal Albert Hall on November 29, 2021 in London, England.