The sudden news that designer Virgil Abloh died at the age of 41 shocked the world, with many taking to social media to share tributes, memories and anecdotes. The founder of Off-White and creative director of men’s at Louis Vuitton passed away after a private two-year battle with cancer. He was widely considered to have single-handedly changed the industry and opened doors for an entire generation of artists within fashion, art and music.
WWD’s Paris Bureau Chief Joelle Diderich said: “The first time I met Virgil Abloh, I walked away after a 45-minute conversation completely sold on his vision. He was the kind of guy who had a theory about everything. Over the course of almost 8 years, we had many further long conversations on topics from design to inclusivity, but mainly he talked about changing the system.”
WWD’s Milan Fashion Editor Alessandra Turra recalled the long conversation she had with Abloh in June 2017, about his show at Pitti Uomo, when he discussed his own take on the concept of temperature.
Virgil Abloh
“It’s a metaphor within my vocabulary system to sort of describe a moment of something that’s already existing. Take the weather, for example — if it’s cold or hot outside,
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