Virgil Abloh
Nationality
United States
Born
1980
Brands
2
Born in Rockford, Illinois in 1980 to Ghanaian immigrant parents, Virgil Abloh studied civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin and earned a master's in architecture from IIT in 2006. After interning at Fendi with Kanye West he became West's creative director at Donda. He founded Pyrex Vision in 2012, evolving it the following year into the Milan-based Off-White, which translated his architectural and Duchampian ready-made sensibility into screen-printed luxury streetwear. In March 2018 LVMH named him artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear — the first Black designer to lead the house. He continued at both labels until his death from cardiac angiosarcoma in 2021, reshaping the relationship between streetwear and luxury.
