Louis Vuitton Debuts Virgil Abloh Tribute Show Displaying His Final Collection
Video screenshot via Louis Vuitton
Following the sudden passing of Virgil Abloh on November 28, Louis Vuitton remembered the late menswear artistic director in a tribute show showcasing his final collection, the Spring/Summer 2022 men’s range. The event, live-streamed on November 30 so the world could pay their respects to the visionary designer together, was entitled “Virgil Was Here”—complete with the iconic double quotation marks synonymous with Abloh’s Off-White brand.
The show was held in Miami, coinciding with Art Basel Miami Beach fair, at which Abloh featured frequently, Highsnobiety notes. It is reported that the showcase was planned by Abloh himself.
Virgil was here.
— Louis Vuitton (@LouisVuitton) November 29, 2021
In loving memory of Virgil Abloh, Louis Vuitton pays tribute to the life and legacy of a creative genius with a presentation of his Spring-Summer 2022 Collection in Miami on November 30th at 5:30 pm (ET). pic.twitter.com/3QwXJRkfin
Louis Vuitton CEO Michael Burke expressed in a statement that the decision to carry on with the fashion event just two days after Abloh’s death was “per [the designer’s] wishes.”
“Virgil was not only a friend, great collaborator, creative genius, visionary and disruptor, but also one of the best cultural communicators of our times. He paved the way for future generations,” wrote Burke. “As a devoted supporter of his community through his charities and passions, he was an eternal optimist who believed anything was possible. In this same spirit, we at Louis Vuitton will proudly continue to celebrate his legacy with a final show in Miami, per his wishes.”
Abloh not only redefined luxury fashion by merging it with street culture, but he was also the first Black man to take the helms of a major fashion house. “I’m not made for a podium, but I’ll design a podium that ushers in systemic change,” he once said.
The launch began with a short film of a child exploring Miami on a bicycle, offering cues to Abloh’s vision for the collection. “I’ve been on this focus in terms of my art and creativity of getting adults to behave like children again that they go back into this sense of wonderment they start to stop using their mind and they start using their imagination,” declared his voiceover.
Video screenshot via Louis Vuitton
A red hot air balloon with the Louis Vuitton monogram, bringing to mind The Wizard of Oz, flitted throughout the show, both as a symbol in the introduction film and part of the runway backdrop.
According to L’Officiel, the S/S 2022 pieces draw from Abloh’s takeaway from Amen Break, a 1969 drum solo that has featured in numerous hip-hop tracks, this exploring the “myth of ownership in contemporary creativity,” Louis Vuitton described in June. Abundant with gender-fluid structures, the collection merges tailored forms with streetwear.
Video screenshot via Louis Vuitton
The stadium went dark for a moment before being softly illuminated by rainbow lights. The late designer’s voice could then be heard, saying: “There’s no limit. Life is so short that you can’t waste even a day subscribing to what someone thinks you can do versus knowing what you can do.”
Memoriam fireworks took to the sky to close the evening.
[via Louis Vuitton, L’Officiel, The Guardian, video and images via Louis Vuitton]
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