Last night, the sad news of visionary creative Virgil Abloh’s death was awash on the internet. His death is a blow to the fashion industry, as his work was impactful on so many levels. He was only 41 years old.
Together with African fashionistas such as Abryanz, Judith Heard, Maps Maponyane, and Siya Beyile, celebrities like Drake and Bella Hadid took time off to react to the designer’s death. Many shared their favourite moments with the designers.
Known for being the creative head of brands such as Louis Vuitton and Off-White, testimonies of Virgil’s work and personality impacted the fashion fraternity, things not to forget or disregard.
We’ve selected a few quotes which showed who the fashion maven was to the core:
“I don’t have to choose between high fashion or street wear. My brand reminds me that it doesn’t have to fit in a box. It can just be in a gray area.”
“I hate stores. Stores are corny. It’s a fact. Who wants to be sold anything?”
“I’m not really into style. I’m more into confidence or having something to say.”
“Graphic tees are vibes. And I think they’re the basis of a lot of wardrobes, but that makes it challenging to distill what you’re brand means within a T-shirt.”
“It’s easier to be a critic than to produce work. So the only way to get to the end means is to start the domino effect. Which is essentially put out bad work.”
“The stuff that interests youth culture is important.”
“I couldn’t beg a fashion writer to write about my project. But with Instagram, I made it my magazine.”
“When creativity melds together with global issues, I believe you can bring the world together.”
“Everything I do references something that influenced me.”
“The whole point of collaboration is that you give and take from each other, and that’s how you create things that are totally new.”
“I love counterfeits, it’s the best feedback. It’s better than a great review in Vogue. If it’s working to a point where someone else can profit […] it’s really working.”
“What I’m trying to do is between Supreme and Celine.”
“The world moves as fast as Instagram scrolls.”
“Humor is an entry point for humanity.”
“Modern culture thrives off of the ironic.”
“My greatest design tool personally is to look at what that genre is doing and make it 3–5% different. It’s in a way, trolling.”
“Fashion and music are two great artistic forms that can be molded by the youth culture – our taste and our passion for evolving things in our limited time on earth allows us to look at things with fresh eyes”.
“Migos are The Beatles.”
“I’d do anything at the right time, and I would also do things at the wrong time if they felt right”.
“I feel like I’m figuring things out, but I don’t feel accomplished yet. I still feel like I’m an intern.”
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