Breaking News: Virgil Abloh has just been named as the new artistic director of menswear at Louis Vuitton. The founder of Off-White and longtime creative director for Kanye West will be taking over from Kim Jones who announced his departure last week.
Well, 2018 certainly seems to be the year for Abloh’s unbelievable takeover of the world. First we got a little taster of his upcoming collaboration with IKEA with a homeware range designed for millennial first-time-buyers to the new takeover of Louis Vuitton menswear.
The new job role at Louis Vuitton will make Abloh one of the few black designers at the top of a French heritage house of fashion. He will follow Oliver Rousteing at Balmain and Oswald Boating who was the Givenchy designer from 2003 – 2007.
According to The New York Times, Abloh will relocate to Paris with his family to fulfil his new role at the iconic fashion house.
“I feel elated. This opportunity to think through what the next chapter of design and luxury will mean at a brand that represents the pinnacle of luxury was always a goal in my wildest dreams. And to show a younger generation that there is no one way anyone in this kind of position has to look is a fantastically modern spirit in which to start.”
Before the official announcement, it had been rumoured that Abloh would step in after Kim Jones’ departure. Virgil will showcase his first collection for Louis Vuitton during Paris Men’s Fashion Week in June.
So, what can we expect from Virgil’s takeover at Louis Vuitton? At this moment in time, all we can do is wait. However, the sassiest and shadiest Instagram account in town, Diet Prada have given us a little joke take on what we could be getting from the founder of Off-White.
Whether you’re a fan of the Off-White aesthetic that Virgil has created or not, I’m sure his reign at Louis Vuitton will be an interesting one to say the least.
