Virgil Abloh

Earlier today I was looking at red carpet photos of Timothée Chalamet and Michael B. Jordan wearing the Louis Vuitton harnesses which according to designer, Virgil Abloh, were actually “mid-layer garments”. Not an hour later did I see that breaking news on Twitter that Virgil had passed away. While I never met him, I felt the loss of someone great.

Impactful is the word I will use to describe Virgil Abloh. He had people fighting in IKEA over their collaboration, wearing those yellow industrial belts with everything, and he made mens fashion more notable. I remember watching his career and creativity bloom while I was a college student studying fashion design. I saw people that never cared about what they wore before, fight and spend large amounts of money to have at least one piece from one of his collections. The way he blended music, art, sports, and fashion together inspires me because that is something I aim to do and will do. Virgil was someone that broke boundaries and judging by the constant flow of DMs currently floating down my Instagram timeline, he was someone that looked out for those coming up behind him and before him. The messages, while personal, are pure and you can tell he wanted to see everyone win.

Looking back on his career, he was able to combine so many elements of himself and what he liked in his work. In my view, there were no limits to what he could or would do. I feel like I relate to him of that because I don’t believe in placing ourselves in a box. From that, I recognize that is okay to dabble in different areas especially when you possess creativity and talent. His creative legacy is one that will continue to inspire.