Abloh was the founder of the label Off-White and artistic director for Louis Vuitton Menswear, making him one of the most powerful Black designers in the world and a luminary who helped cement streetwear as high fashion.
And so he really kind of changed the image of what a fashion designer should be, which is someone who can bring together a lot of collaborators, who comes with a fan base.
BATES: Not just men’s fashion, David – with his company Off-White, Virgil Abloh was one of the early adopters of streetwear and the crossover of streetwear into fashion.
He worked with IKEA on furniture and had a big show at the Gagosian Gallery in London with artist Takashi Murakami, whose own work is saturated with pop culture references.
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