Remembering Virgil Abloh – the genius fashion designer, DJ, Off-White founder, Louis Vuitton menswear artistic director and Kanye West collaborator who died of cancer aged 41
![LVMH announced the death of pioneering fashion designer Virgil Abloh, founder of the Off-White label and Louis Vuitton menswear creative director, on November 28 following a long, private cancer battle. Photo: EPA-EFE](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/768x768/public/d8/images/canvas/2021/11/29/7746b1fc-3f2a-47a5-87f8-8e03cbd104ae_300b8683.jpg?itok=EOjQLOon&v=1638177275)
- LVMH announced the death of pioneering fashion designer Virgil Abloh, founder of the Off-White label, on November 28 following a long, private battle with cancer
- As the first black creative director at Louis Vuitton, Abloh brought hip-hop and skate culture to high luxury – while highlighting intellectualism in streetwear
“For over two years, Virgil valiantly battled a rare, aggressive form of cancer, cardiac angiosarcoma,” the statement read. “He chose to endure his battle privately since his diagnosis in 2019, undergoing numerous challenging treatments, all while helming several significant institutions that span fashion, art and culture.”
![Virgil Abloh was credited with bringing an intellectualism to streetwear, as seen here in Off-White’s men’s autumn/winter 2019-2020 collection. Photo: AFP Virgil Abloh was credited with bringing an intellectualism to streetwear, as seen here in Off-White’s men’s autumn/winter 2019-2020 collection. Photo: AFP](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2021/11/29/dc452278-c5c0-4ce3-ba07-16a6203c13c0_9f5b9dca.jpg)
![Streetwear designer Virgil Abloh’s appointment at Louis Vuitton was seen as a pioneering moment in high fashion. Photo: EPA-EFE Streetwear designer Virgil Abloh’s appointment at Louis Vuitton was seen as a pioneering moment in high fashion. Photo: EPA-EFE](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2021/11/29/fd962b8a-393f-4a65-a9c2-0288f009ad25_df5dbbd9.jpg)
![Virgil Abloh was a hip-hop head, DJ and close associate of Kanye West. Photo: Handout Virgil Abloh was a hip-hop head, DJ and close associate of Kanye West. Photo: Handout](https://img.i-scmp.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto/sites/default/files/d8/images/canvas/2021/11/29/e0be84be-8ce3-4d72-bfaf-11cc80afa143_6114a0af.jpg)
Abloh was closely associated with fellow Chicagoan West. The two met not long after Abloh graduated with a master’s degree in architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2006. Subsequently, West and Abloh took an internship together at Fendi in 2010 and continued collaborating extensively afterwards, with West saying Abloh enabled him to realise his dreams, calling him a strategist. “Virgil is able to take my ideas and architect them, because he is an architect,” West once said.