Louis Vuitton hires Virgil Abloh as artistic director

Louis Vuitton has taken on Virgil Abloh as its men’s artistic director, with his first show scheduled for Men’s Fashion Week in Paris in June.

“Having followed with great interest Virgil’s ascent since he worked with me at Fendi in 2006, I am thrilled to see how his innate creativity and disruptive approach have made him so relevant, not just in the world of fashion but in popular culture today,” says Louis Vuitton chairman/CEO Michael Burke. “His sensibility toward luxury and savoir-faire will be instrumental in taking Louis Vuitton’s menswear into the future.”

Abloh says the heritage and creative integrity of the house are key inspirations “and I will look to reference them both while drawing parallels to modern times”.

Born in Rockford, Illinois, in 1980, Abloh is an artist, architect, engineer, creative director and designer.

After earning a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin Madison, he completed a Master’s Degree in Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology. It was there he learned not only about modernist design principles but also about the concept of multi-disciplinary working.

Born in Rockford, Illinois, in 1980, Abloh is an artist, architect, engineer, creative director, and designer.

After earning a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin Madison, he completed a Master’s Degree in Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology. It was there he learned not only about modernist design principles but also about the concept of multi-disciplinary working.

Virgil Abloh’s brand Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh launched in 2012 as an artwork titled Pyrex Vision. In 2013, the brand premiered a seasonal men’s and women’s fashion label, and has shown runway collections during Paris Fashion Week since 2015.

Abloh has also presented his work at major design institutions such as Harvard Graduate School of Design and Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Next year he will have a major exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago, Illinois.

Virgil Abloh for Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh was among finalists of the LVMH Prize in 2015, and his other accolades include the British Fashion Awards Urban Luxe Award and International Designer of the Year at the GQ Men of the Year Awards last year.