Virgil Abloh’s Off-White Streetwear Meets Luxury Revolution on the Runway

Virgil Abloh, the son of Ghanaian immigrants, was an innovative multi-hyphenate who parlayed his industrial design training into footwear and fashion — as founder and creative director of his own brand, Off-White, collaborator with Nike, Jimmy Choo, Kith and Timberland; creative director for Kanye West’s design agency, Donda; and artistic director of menswear at Louis Vuitton. He also took his talent to the art world, curating exhibitions at an international list of noteworthy museums and galleries.

When WWD covered Abloh for the first time in 2014 as “One to Watch,” he had already built a loyal following by word of mouth and had a huge social media following. He had just debuted his first womenswear collection, with the anticipation of building Off-White into a lifestyle brand. In 2016, he would show in Paris, a timely move that changed the trajectory of his career in fashion.

At the time, he foretold his vision for what was to come in the culture-driven fashion category known as streetwear. Telling WWD, “The concept of high-low, I think, is a part of this generation of young fashion muses and designers, and I want to embrace that in one collection.” The concept was heard. Three years later, Abloh, who had already used fashion’s language to decode sneaker culture, leveled up the streetwear category when he was appointed the first African American to be artistic director at French luxury house LVMH. His vision for the new consumers of the luxury sector rooted Louis Vuitton firmly into the streetwear scene. Abloh’s “Tourist vs. Purist” philosophy inspired the next generation to interact with fashion differently. Throughout his time, he created a massive following for pieces he created, regardless of the brand or label. Abloh passed away on Nov. 28, 2021.

Here, a tribute to his contribution to fashion through his Off-White label’s womenswear collections, that elevated elements from streetwear style with luxury on the runway, from WWD and the Fairchild Archive.