Virgil Abloh Appointed As The New Artistic Director For Louis Vuitton Menswear

Virgil Abloh, the founder of the haute street wear label Off-White and a longtime creative director for Kanye West, will be the next artistic director of menswear at Louis Vuitton, one of the oldest and most powerful European houses in the luxury business. He will be one of the few black designers at the top of a French heritage house, right after Olivier Rousteing who is the current creative director of Balmain. Abloh will be replacing former Brit Kim Jones, who recently departed the brand after a 7-year creative tenure.

Virgil Abloh taking a bow after his recently-concluded FW'18 show for Off-White

“For the last eight to ten years we’ve been having this conversation about what’s new, and for me, that has to do with making luxury relatable across generations,” Abloh said, in an official statement released by the brand. “The first thing I am going to do is define new codes. My muse has always been what people actually wear, and I am really excited to make a luxury version of that,” he added.The designer will present his first collection (SS'19) for Louis Vuitton this coming June. Will he able to mine on the rich archives and classic French brand’s global presence? Only time will tell.

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