

Virgil Abloh left an indelible mark on the world of fashion. A standout figure at Paris Fashion Week for several seasons with his brand Off-White, launched in 2013, he was also a DJ, painter and Kanye West's stylist. Born in Chicago and trained as an architect, in 2018 he became one of the very few Black creatives to be named artistic director at a major luxury house – specifically, for Louis Vuitton's menswear collections.
He died at 41 in 2021 from a rare form of heart cancer, leaving behind memories, both within and far beyond the fashion industry, of a man with remarkable talent and an exceptional personality. That memory can be rekindled today, as Abloh hardly ever threw anything away. He kept every prototype, sketch, idea jotted down on paper, raw material, photograph, artwork, piece of design or book, as well as his personal collection of fashion items and sneakers, accumulated over nearly 20 years.
You have 75.59% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.