On Nov. 28, 2021, Virgil Abloh passed away from a rare and aggressive cancer called cardiac angiosarcoma. This came as a shock to the public, as Virgil Abloh had kept his condition a secret. A post made on his Instagram after his death states, “He chose to endure his battle privately since his diagnosis in 2019, undergoing numerous challenging treatments, all while helming several significant institutions that span fashion, art, and culture.” Virgil Abloh is now survived by his wife Shannon Abloh, his children Lowe Abloh and Grey Abloh, his sister Edwina Abloh, his parents Nee and Eunice Abloh, and numerous dear friends and colleagues.

Virgil Abloh was a major icon in the fashion industry, as he was the founder of the very famous Off-White fashion label, which was created in 2012, as well as being the first African American artistic director for Louis Vuitton. Along with famous fashion contribution, he also made a major impact on the world of interiors, putting his iconic stamp on chairs, lamps, plates, ceramic blocks, a clock whose face read “temporary,” and a turf doormat with a surface that said “wet grass.” (insert pic 1) In 2011, he was nominated for a Grammy.

Virgil Abloh has also been involved in many major collaborations, including Nike Air Prestos designed by Abloh, and the Vox states, “It’s easy to see that Rihanna wears these clothes, and that the Nike Air Prestos designed by Abloh and released this summer were mentioned more than 250,000 times on social media and were so hard to buy that they are now available on resale apps at markups of around 450 percent.” 

Virgil Abloh has had a lot of success in his career. In the year 2011, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album Packaging creative direction alongside Riccardo Tisci for “Watch The Throne.” Then in 2015, Off-White™ was nominated as one of the top eight finalists for the LVMH Prize in Paris. The year after, in 2016, he was inducted into the BOF 500 “The People Shaping The Global Fashion Industry” List. In the same year of 2016, he was nominated for one of the top five nominees in the category of International Urban Luxury Brand at The British Fashion Awards. In the year 2017, Virgil Abloh was selected as a special guest to show his Spring Summer 2018 Men’s OFF-WHITE c/o VIRGIL ABLOH™ Collection in Florence, Italy during Pitti Immagine U.

Virgil Abloh has worked with many celebrities, including Kim Kardashian,  Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Drake, Kendall Jenner, Lauryn Hill, Frank Ocean and Tyler, the Creator. Here are some of his most iconic creations:

Mercedes Benz G-Class:

Abloh told Highsnobiety, “Abloh said: ‘it shows that luxury doesn’t have to conform to ways of the past. It shows that design can show a new personality.’” Mercedes-Benz states, “This marks the unification of two worlds: fashion and art with automotive. The objective is to push the boundaries of each respective creative realm and reimagine the luxury landscape.” This design was the first design to be considered a race car for this model.  Highsnobiety states, “In the latest installation of Virgil Abloh‘s collaborative Project Geländewagen with Mercedes-Benz, a one-of-one replica of the car was sold as part of Sotheby’s Contemporary Curated auction. The 1:3 model raised $160,000, which will be donated to a charitable cause.”

Yeezus Album Cover

Highsnobiety states, “The 2013 release of Ye’s Yeezus album came while Abloh was working as part of the artist’s creative content company DONDA along with the likes of Matthew Williams and Justin Saunders. Abloh said during a lecture at Columbia University that the minimal, see-through design ‘represented the death of a CD.’”

Pyrex Vision, 2012

Abloh first started to make waves in the fashion industry with Pyrex Vision. HYPEBEAST says, “Inspired by an eclectic mix of inspirations – including brand verbiage that points to ‘high school experiences, Pusha-T drug raps, Champion gym uniforms, Caravaggio obsessions, Michael Jordan and black kids with white tendencies’ – his latest collection dubbed ‘Youth Always Wins’ is a vibrant compilation of cultural and sartorial rebellion.’” 

Louis Vuitton Keepall, 2018

Highsnobiety states, “Abloh’s first show with Louis Vuitton is a moment that will forever be a part of fashion history. It included an emotional embrace with Ye, a rainbow runway, and used cultural pioneers from A$AP Nast to Blondey McCoy as models. Having to pick out one item from the collection is a near-impossible task, however, if it has to be done then the holographic duffel bag must be mentioned. A playful and headline-grabbing take on Louis Vuitton’s signature luggage, it was a statement of intent from Virgil.”