{"id":43378,"date":"2017-01-02T14:28:05","date_gmt":"2017-01-02T13:28:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/?p=43378"},"modified":"2020-03-30T14:38:14","modified_gmt":"2020-03-30T14:38:14","slug":"virgil-abloh-off-white","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/virgil-abloh-off-white\/","title":{"rendered":"Virgil Abloh on breaking the rules of fashion with 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“High-fashion people are dressing and designing in a streetwear way, which is why I got into it.”\u00a0<\/span>Virgil Abloh\u2019s <\/span>meeting is running over by 20 minutes. SLEEK predicted this might happen, so instead we pin him down in the Uber en route to tonight\u2019s event: a launch party for an<\/span> exclusive collection <\/span>of Abloh\u2019s fashion brand\u00a0<\/span>Off-Wh<\/span><\/i>ite<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Straddling the borders between fashion, music and art, the globetrotting Abloh combines diverse roles including designer, DJ and ideas man for Kanye West, whom he first encountered on the scene in his home town of Chicago. But if someone at tonight\u2019s party was to ask him what he does for a living, he\u2019d probably describe himself as a creative director. \u201cI\u2019m just a kid, really,\u201d downplays the softly-spoken 35-year- old, \u201cI think of things and try to realise them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Abloh is a busy man. Eyes glued to his buzzing iPhone, he dashes between hotel corridor and the rabbit warren of Soho en route to the party. There\u2019s just time to make a pitstop at the London outpost of<\/span> Supreme<\/span>, or \u201cmy Louis Vuitton\u201d as Abloh calls it. The cult skate fashion brand is known for its red-boxed logo that it \u2018borrowed\u2019 from artist Barbara Kruger, and usually has queues to rival an Apple launch, but there isn\u2019t one right now. The security guard doesn\u2019t recognise him, but a few teenagers inside do a double take as Abloh leaves. A twentysomething guy outside asks for a selfie.<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":84014,"id":84014,"title":"Virgil_feature_2","filename":"Virgil_feature_2.jpg","filesize":469342,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_feature_2.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/virgil-abloh-off-white\/virgil_feature_2\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"virgil_feature_2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":43378,"date":"2020-03-30 13:27:00","modified":"2020-03-30 13:27:00","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1500,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_feature_2.jpg","thumbnail-width":128,"thumbnail-height":85,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_feature_2.jpg","medium-width":1500,"medium-height":1000,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_feature_2.jpg","medium_large-width":1500,"medium_large-height":1000,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_feature_2.jpg","large-width":1500,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_feature_2.jpg","1536x1536-width":1500,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_feature_2.jpg","2048x2048-width":1500,"2048x2048-height":1000,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_feature_2.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":18,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_feature_2.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1500,"wpvr_mobile-height":1000}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

Supreme and Abloh\u2019s own label Off-White are often described as \u2018streetwear\u2019, a term associated with graphic-heavy T-shirts and hoodies. It also implies something more pedestrian and populist than high fashion\u2019s exclusive catwalk shows and pricey boutiques. Increasingly, the borders between the two are harder to delimit. \u201cIf anything, high-fashion people are dressing and designing in a streetwear way,\u201d says Abloh. \u201cWhich is why I got into it, because I noticed that what I liked was becoming the trend.\u201d The hoodie, in his formulation, has become the new suit jacket; the proliferation of casual dress codes, the democratisation of knowledge enabled by the internet, and stigmatisation of traditional signifiers of success \u2013 e.g. the suit jacket \u2013 caused by global economic crises have all combined to raise humble streetwear to the pinnacle of fashion.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say that \u00a330 tees and \u00a3150 hoodies have become the glass ceiling of luxury. Instead, high fashion has appropriated streetwear as it has other rebellious garb before (for example, Alexander McQueen\u2019s take on punk and Marc Jacob\u2019s adaptation of grunge), producing its own version of the new uniform with elevated materials, silhouettes and price tags. Hence why designer Demna Gvasalia, whose Vetements label hit headlines for sending a \u00a3185 DHL T-shirt down the catwalk, was last year appointed creative director of storied Parisian house Balenciaga. \u201cI want to take streetwear ideals and do them in a high-fashion way that feels contemporary, like Demna,\u201d says Abloh, who harbours his own ambition to take the helm at an established house. Unlike Gvasalia, who trained at Antwerp\u2019s famous Royal Academy of Fine Arts and previously worked for Vuitton and Maison Margiela, Abloh is an outsider who used to turn up at runway shows as a kid and get turned away. Perhaps that\u2019s why he desires the external validation of joining an established maison in spite of the acclaim currently being lavished on his own brand.<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"blockquote","text":"\"High-fashion people are dressing and designing in a streetwear way, which is why I got into it\"","source":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

\u201cI just want to take it all the way,\u201d says Abloh, whose Off-White was conceived to inhabit and expand this grey area between affordable streetwear and traditionally, reassuringly expensive high fashion. That Abloh was the only American to be nominated for the prestigious prize awarded to young designers by the Mo\u00ebt Hennessy Louis Vuitton luxury goods conglomerate in 2015 suggests that he\u2019s going about things the right way. He contends that he doesn\u2019t yearn to be accepted by the establishment though, but wants to turn it inside-out: \u201cImagine if high-fashion stores all felt like Supreme, with products that you really wanted to own, not that seemed from yesteryear.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

“One of the true concepts of streetwear is using whatever means you have to make clothing.”\u00a0<\/span>Abloh, who was born in Rockford, Illinois, to Ghanian immigrants, originally studied engineering at the University of Wisconsin while DJing on the weekends. Emboldened by a Balenciaga graphic T-shirt that was a more expensive version of the streetwear he\u2019d grown up wearing, he made his first foray into designing in 2012, by printing the logo of his nascent label Pyrex Vision onto discounted Rugby Ralph Lauren shirts. That could be interpreted as a bold statement: new superseding old, or \u201cYouth Always Wins\u201d, as that first collection was called. Yet it was in fact as much a practical decision as anything: \u201cOne of the true concepts of streetwear is using whatever means you have to make clothing, whether that\u2019s buying blank T-shirts, or what I did.\u201d Pyrex quickly evolved into Off-White, a fully-fledged fashion brand based in Milan that shows on the Paris catwalk during fashion week. Keeping to this DIY-theme, he still creates open invites for his Yeezy-soundtrack shows, inviting kids from all backgrounds in one swoop, while probably pricing out many in another (at least until they get well-paid jobs).<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":84015,"id":84015,"title":"Virgil_feature_3","filename":"Virgil_feature_3.jpg","filesize":583675,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_feature_3.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/virgil-abloh-off-white\/virgil_feature_3\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"virgil_feature_3","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":43378,"date":"2020-03-30 13:27:13","modified":"2020-03-30 13:27:13","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1500,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_feature_3.jpg","thumbnail-width":128,"thumbnail-height":85,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_feature_3.jpg","medium-width":1500,"medium-height":1000,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_feature_3.jpg","medium_large-width":1500,"medium_large-height":1000,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_feature_3.jpg","large-width":1500,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_feature_3.jpg","1536x1536-width":1500,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_feature_3.jpg","2048x2048-width":1500,"2048x2048-height":1000,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_feature_3.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":18,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_feature_3.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1500,"wpvr_mobile-height":1000}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

Streetwear has hitherto been undervalued by high fashion, discounted as no more sophisticated than T-shirts and hoodies. \u201cIt\u2019s actually the most intellectual realm,\u201d says Abloh. \u201cBut it\u2019s hidden; it plays on cheapness. A kid can see that font and be like, \u2018Oh, it\u2019s Supreme.\u2019 Or I can look at it and be like, \u2018Oh, that\u2019s Barbara Kruger.\u2019\u201d There is an art to streetwear beyond slapping on logos or making clothing in limited quantities, which Abloh argues is less a marketing ploy and more a consequence of being a small brand that can only produce so much: \u201cWhat\u2019s more relevant is that the best streetwear brands have the best curation.\u201d Supreme is pre-eminent in this regard, remaining on point for two decades while similar less substantial labels have come and gone. \u201cIt\u2019s among my favourite brands for its art direction,\u201d says Abloh. \u201cIt\u2019s connected to culture. The music playing in there… Its art direction. It\u2019s art. You\u2019re barely getting that at a high-fashion brand. They should be charging me double for that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s that Supreme-esque attention to detail that Abloh is building on with Off-White, which caters to his own growing demographic: that grown-up streetwear kid whose tastes and purchasing power have matured, who\u2019s equally comfortable in a hoodie or a silk pyjama top, and who doesn\u2019t have to wear a suit to work. Indeed, Abloh characterises Off-White as an art project, not a mere brand. \u201cThere\u2019s a set of decisions that go into a finalised design,\u201d he says. \u201cBasically, there\u2019s a deeper meaning beyond just,\u2018This works: let\u2019s sell it.\u2019\u201d Abloh, who studied architecture at graduate school, cites the Off-White store in Hong Kong as one of his proudest achievements: \u201cPeople need to experience what the brand means for the T-shirt to make sense.\u201d The holistic rigour of architectural training was a solid foundation for the \u201cfull concept\u201d that is Off-White, while built spaces help add substance \u2013 and longevity \u2013 to inherently seasonal fashion. Crucially, Abloh can also draw on his own cultural cachet, whether music or art, name-checking New York\u2019s Jim Joe and the Moran Bondaroff gallery\u2019s Know Wave collective as inspiration.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cVirgil is very interested in culture beyond the mainstream, and I think this keeps his aesthetic relevant,\u201d confirms Damien Paul, head of menswear at<\/span> Matchesfashion.com<\/span>, who also witnessed first-hand the fullness of Abloh\u2019s concept. \u201cFor the launch event in London, he brought in Ben Kelly, architect of the Hacienda \u2013 a British club culture institution \u2013 to help with the set. That\u2019s attention to detail that many other designers would not consider, and it\u2019s impressive.\u201d According to Paul, the collection reflects Abloh\u2019s \u201crestless, disruptive spirit and energy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"images","gallery":[{"ID":84013,"id":84013,"title":"Virgil_Streetspirit_","filename":"Virgil_Streetspirit_.jpg","filesize":602014,"url":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_Streetspirit_.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/de\/article\/virgil-abloh-off-white\/virgil_streetspirit_\/","alt":"","author":"1","description":"","caption":"","name":"virgil_streetspirit_","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":43378,"date":"2020-03-30 13:26:50","modified":"2020-03-30 13:26:50","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":1500,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_Streetspirit_.jpg","thumbnail-width":128,"thumbnail-height":85,"medium":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_Streetspirit_.jpg","medium-width":1500,"medium-height":1000,"medium_large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_Streetspirit_.jpg","medium_large-width":1500,"medium_large-height":1000,"large":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_Streetspirit_.jpg","large-width":1500,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_Streetspirit_.jpg","1536x1536-width":1500,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_Streetspirit_.jpg","2048x2048-width":1500,"2048x2048-height":1000,"trp-custom-language-flag":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_Streetspirit_.jpg","trp-custom-language-flag-width":18,"trp-custom-language-flag-height":12,"wpvr_mobile":"https:\/\/www.sleek-mag.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Virgil_Streetspirit_.jpg","wpvr_mobile-width":1500,"wpvr_mobile-height":1000}}],"settings":{"fit_width":"6","caption":""}},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

Throughout the interview, Abloh has been using his phone, occasionally trailing off when it demands his attention. But this isn\u2019t the stereotype of the hard-charging CEO playing email tennis with the intensity of Novak Djokovic, or the ADD Generation Y-er who is incapable of having a conversation without trawling Instagram listlessly. Abloh is actually creating on the hoof, making decisions, selecting images; he even designs collections via a mobile app. The barrage of messages requiring snap value judgements is incessant, but he never worries about not having a quick reply. \u201cThat anxiety is what gets the idea. And I\u2019ll usually solve the problem within the first minute or 30 seconds.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Rather than spurts of creativity, Abloh\u2019s output is constantly flowing. \u201cThat\u2019s what creative direction is to me,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s like a boxer sparring, or a doctor diagnosing a patient. You\u2019re not just going to sit there like, \u2018I don\u2019t know…\u2019 Your brain is trained to go down a list of things to come to a result really fast. That\u2019s what pushes me \u2013 becoming good at it. But it\u2019s not work. It\u2019s like my sport. So I enjoy the challenge.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With that, the vehicle pulls up outside the venue. There are still a couple of hours until the event and nobody is policing the door yet. In perpetual motion, Abloh walks in, without stopping, onto the next project.<\/span><\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text_area","text_area":"

This article initially appeared in\u00a0<\/em>SLEEK 52.<\/p>\n

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