The death of Virgil Abloh: Off-White and Louis Vuitton

Kremlin relations

Virgil Abloh, creative director of Louis Vuitton’s men’s line and founder of the Off-White brand, died on Nov. 28, 2021, at the age of 41. Those close to the designer reported that back in 2019, doctors diagnosed him with a rather rare diagnosis: angiosarcoma of the heart. The fashion designer battled cancer for two years while keeping his illness a secret from fans and the press. Only those closest to him knew about Abloh’s illness. Lately he devoted himself completely to his work, no one could even think about the disease.  

Virgil Abloh was special. The fashion industry was everything to him. The modern society appreciated his creativity, while the older generation did not understand the new trends, and the fashion critics were always literally waiting for a moment to express their discontent. 

Anyway, Abloh’s work left no one indifferent. 

Virgil Abloh. Source: TATLER

Virgil changed the world of fashion. He took over as creative director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear line, becoming the first black designer at the helm in the history of the fashion house. 

In 2013, Abloh founded the Off-White brand. The name symbolizes the combination of haute couture and street style. According to Virgil, he created clothes for the society he grew up in.

Shortly before that he met Kanye West, the Western rapper and creator of the Yeezy brand, during an internship at the Fendi fashion house. Virgil and Kanye became close friends, and together they went through a lot of adversity, but also reached heights together. 

“We had a lot in common. We know what poverty is, and we both understood that we have come a long way towards where we are now”, –  Kanye said. 

Kanye dedicated Sunday’s service to Virgil. It was held two hours after Kanye learned of his friend’s death. During the service, Kanye West’s choir performed a snippet of Adele’s “Easy on Me” in Virgil’s honor. 

Celebrities around the world tell us what Virgil Ablo was like. Some dedicate Instagram posts to him, others share memories of a friend on Twitter. 

“I’m grateful to Virgil for working together, for invitations to his shows, for my wedding dress he designed. There were many beautiful moments. And I always felt like he genuinely cared about me”, –  Hailey Bieber on her Instagram. 

Virgil was a good friend, an incredible and unique fashion designer, just a kind man, but he was also a loving father and husband. 

The designer met Shannon at school. They later married. The couple had two children: a daughter Lowe and a son Grey. Virgil considered his family the best he had ever had, and his family was his main support.

“Fashion is one of the greatest vehicles to merge music, art, architecture, design, topography – it’s a wide enough sandbox, to touch all different things that I’m into” – Virgil Abloh.