Louis Vuitton Names Virgil Abloh Men's Designer
Virgil Abloh, founder of high-fashion streetwear brand Off-White and creative director for Kanye West, has been named the new menswear artistic director for Louis Vuitton.
He marks the first African American artistic director the brand, and is one of the few designers of color to helm a major fashion house, following Olivier Rousteing for Balmain and Ozwald Boateng for Givenchy (during 2003-2007), the New York Times reports.
Abloh will debut his first collection for Vuitton in June for men's fashion week in Paris. He replaces Kim Jones, who left in January to become the menswear designer for Christian Dior, a position previously held by Kris Van Assche for 11 years. Like Abloh, Jones will also host his first show for Dior in June.
The Off-White designer announced his new position late last night with a cryptic picture of a Vuitton trunk on Instagram.
A post shared by @virgilabloh on Mar 25, 2018 at 9:43pm PDT
"I feel elated," Abloh told the New York Times. "This opportunity to think through what the next chapter of design and luxury will mean at a brand that represents the pinnacle of luxury was always a goal in my wildest dreams. And to show a younger generation that there is no one way anyone in this kind of position has to look is a fantastically modern spirit in which to start."
Louis Vuitton CEO Michael Burke Monday praised Abloh's "innate creativity and disruptive approach (that) have made him so relevant, not just in the world of fashion but in popular culture today."
Associated Press contributed reporting.
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