Through its CEO Michael Burke, Louis Vuitton announced that the next presentation of the Spring/Summer 2022 men’s collection in Miami would be dedicated to the “life and legacy” of Virgil Abloh. The latter died yesterday at only 41 years old. With a short video entitled “Virgil Was Here”, Louis Vuitton described the late designer and creative director as a “creative genius”.
“It is with profound sorrow that I learned of the passing of Virgil Abloh. Virgil was a friend, great collaborator, creative genius, visionary and disruptor, and one of the best cultural communicators of our times. It paved the way for future generations. As a devoted supporter of his community through his charitable activities and passions, he was an eternal optimist who believed that anything was possible.
In this same spirit, we at Louis Vuitton will proudly continue to celebrate his legacy with a final show in Miami, according to his wishes. I am honored to have called him my friend. My deepest thoughts are with his wife, children, parents, family, and the entire community that his greatness has touched.”
Virgil Abloh defined his work as “open source” and, in an interview, explained why.
He describes it by bringing the example of kids who skateboard, reiterating that for him, this is a very open-source sport, precisely because you can learn it on the field, watch others, and do better and better. You study your friend’s move, try it again until you don’t fall, and then improve more and more by adding something uniquely yours. The comparison with others can help to do better from time to time and helps to be inspired by everything around.
A tribute to a man who was an innovator and an absolute genius.
