Virgil Abloh’s Most Memorable Quotes on Fashion, Art and Independence – WWD

Unexpected news that the designer Virgil Abloh died at the age of 41 shocked the world, with many people using social media to share the dedication, memories and anecdotes. Off-White founder and male creative director at Louis Vuitton has died after a two-year battle with cancer. He is considered yes single-handedly changing the industry and opened the door to a whole generation of artists in fashion, art and music.

WWD Paris Office Director Joelle Diderich said: “The first time I met Virgil Abloh, I walked away after a 45-minute conversation completely swayed by his vision. He’s the type to have a theory about everything. Over the course of almost 8 years, we’ve had even longer conversations on topics ranging from design to holistic, but mostly he’s talking about changing the system. ”

WWD Milan fashion editor Alessandra Turra recalls long conversation she was with Abloh in June 2017, about his performance at Pitti Uomo, as he discussed his own concept of temperature.

“It is a metaphor in my vocabulary to describe a moment of something that already exists. Take the weather for example – if it’s cold or hot outside, it changes your mood, it changes everything. Humans respond to temperature,” he said. “My collection depicts how temperature affects people, climate and global, ecosystems.”

Here are a few selection quotes from a real man who changed the industry:

“Fashion is one of the most wonderful mediums for bringing together music, art, architecture, design, typography – be it a canvas wide enough or a sandbox big enough to reach all different things that I love.”

“There is fear, it’s like a creative thing, like you might miss the next idea just by not being in the right place at the right time or being open to seeing trends develop. Culture moves at a frenetic pace”.

“One thing that I think the luxury market needs to understand is that the culture has changed. I don’t know if there is a way to underline that further. This should be written in bold – that luxury by a 17 year old’s standards is completely different from that of his parents. His version of luxury is streetwear.”

“A 17-year-old can be more progressive and often more advanced than a 45-year-old, so my design theory and the culture surrounding Off-White are non-traditional.”

“I believe in mentoring, because I know the roadblock for me took years and hours [to overcome]. I don’t really apply the same philosophy that another kid has to get through all those hoops before he can be in Paris and do it. “

“For me, the only thing I am truly a creator of. I have an idea of ​​all the categories, so, in a way, it’s a matter of understanding and making suggestions for what the future might hold. Fashion is just one of many areas where design can be applied. ”

“My general premise is not selling clothes. If that’s your end goal, then suddenly everything looks the same, you know – you start designing with numbers. “

“I feel, what good is design and art if you don’t have the freedom to create and think? The mission of artists is to dream effectively. To me, it’s disheartening if an industry based on innovation only makes decisions based on fact.”

“I grew up feeling that design wasn’t for me, because I didn’t see anyone like me in design.”

“Someone said [my appointment at Louis Vuitton] feel like [Barack] Obama won the presidency – like a similar epiphany. We understand it’s possible, but we don’t think [it would happen.] When it’s official, it’s different. ”

“The idea was to find luxury. I think there is an absolute beauty that exists in every moment in culture, and so I am trying to create things that are young, trendy and timeless, but with a surprising quality. ”

See more:

Virgil Abloh writes new chapter at Louis Vuitton

WWD News Creator of the Year: Virgil Abloh

Off-White’s Virgil Abloh Is The New Star Of Streetwear