Royal College Of Art Launches Virgil Abloh Scholarship For Minority Students

In honor of late fashion designer Virgil Abloh, who helmed famed luxury houses Off-White and Louis Vuitton before his passing, the Royal College of Art (RCA) will introduce a new scholarship to aid underrepresented students within its ranks. 

The RCA Virgil Abloh Scholarship, offered annually, was funded by an anonymous donor in the United States and will seek out “an extraordinarily talented, but financially restricted, Black British student.” 

Worth £35,000 (US$40,000) in total, the award will cover the full tuition fees of any postgraduate program in the institution’s School of Design. Plus, the chosen student will benefit from industry experience and networking opportunities with British designer Samuel Ross. 

Fittingly, the acclaimed designer himself had been a champion of scholarships, investing over US$1 million in the Virgil Abloh Post-Modern scholarship fund to support minority students stateside. 

Abloh enjoyed a close relationship with the RCA, even joining as an honorary visiting professor in 2020. As such, the college hopes this initiative will “recognize Virgil’s support for education” and his long-held belief in creating social change.

“Virgil’s creativity and generosity will continue to have an impact at the RCA through this remarkable scholarship,” remarked Sir Jony Ive, Chancellor of the RCA. 

“I continue to be inspired by Virgil and believe that his curiosity and entrepreneurialism will live on, inspiring generations of innovators to come.” 

[via The Guardian and Royal College of Art, cover image via Fashionstock .com | Dreamstime.com]