Virgil Abloh, Louis Vuitton technical director and founder of the Off White brand, died Sunday of cancer at the age of 41. Many celebrities have praised this iconic face of Streetwear.
“We were all shocked by this terrible news. Virgil was not a simple designer, but also a man of great spirit and great wisdom. The LVMH family joins me in this moment of great sadness and we are all thinking of loved ones who have lost a husband, father, brother and friend,” LVMH announced on networks Social.
“He has chosen to put up with his fight alone since he was diagnosed in 2019,” his family said in a post on the designer’s Instagram account. The multidisciplinary artist suffered from cardiac angiosarcoma, a very rare malignant tumor located in the heart.
Artist of “infinite curiosity”, devising “ways of greater equality in art and design”, he saluted his family, who advocate respect for his privacy for mourning and a “celebration of life. Virgil.”
Celebrating his unique vision and collaborations with big names in rap like Kanye West, the star stylist has yet to make a public announcement of his illness.
He has been the artistic director of the house of Louis Vuitton since 2018. Abloh was considered by his peers a visionary, among the first to fuse luxury, hip-hop and Streetwear.
Born on September 30, 1980 in Rockford, Illinois, USA, to parents from Ghana, he graduated in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and in Architecture from Illinois Institute of Technology.
He has established himself in a few years as one of the coolest designers among the modern millennial audience. We owe it to this multidisciplinary artist, who is fond of music, the artistic direction of the album Watching the throne Rappers Jaz-Z and Kanye West, who won him a Grammy.
The designer is best known for his collaborations with brands Nike, Jimmy Choo and Moncler.
Virgil Abloh had confirmed to the magazine Vogue magazine He significantly slowed his pace in September 2019, on the doctor’s recommendation.
with Agence France Press
