{"id":7046,"date":"2021-11-30T14:35:58","date_gmt":"2021-11-30T13:35:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.luxus-plus.com\/?p=7046"},"modified":"2021-11-30T18:03:05","modified_gmt":"2021-11-30T17:03:05","slug":"virgil-abloh-the-co-branding-superstar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.luxus-plus.com\/en\/virgil-abloh-the-co-branding-superstar\/","title":{"rendered":"Virgil Abloh, the co-branding superstar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Artistic director of Louis Vuitton and founder of Off-White, Virgil Abloh died last Sunday at the age of 41. The designer had reportedly been secretly battling a rare form of cancer since 2019. Luxus+ Magazine has chosen to pay tribute to the fashion darling and idol of millennials through his many landmark collaborations. Portrait of an incredible societal and identity phenomenon.<\/p>\n

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You don’t have to be an expert in the luxury or fashion industry to have heard of the multidisciplinary designer Virgil Abloh<\/strong>, creator of the Off White<\/a> <\/strong>brand in 2013 and Artistic Director of the men’s collections of the Louis Vuitton<\/strong><\/a> house since 2018. The collaborations of this jack-of-all-trades with an atypical profile, who is at the same time a DJ, an architect by training and a former adviser to Kanye West, can be counted in the twenties over the last few years : brands from all sectors were snatching him up.<\/p>\n

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So why does everything he touches turn into a success ? This king of luxury streetwear is a social media fanatic: with 5.5 million followers on Instagram and 10.7 million for his label Off-White<\/strong>, it’s no surprise that he has established himself in a few years as one of the coolest designers among a hyper-connected audience of millennials. It is therefore logical that brands looking for an audience among this much sought-after target want to associate their image with his.<\/p>\n

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A collaboration with Virgil Abloh is a guarantee of substantial media buzz on an international scale. Each new Virgil Abloh co-branded project generates a flurry of press articles and incredible buzz within the designer’s community of aficionados. Ideal for a brand that wants to rejuvenate its image and attract, not to say recuperate, the fans of one of the most “bankable” designers of our time.<\/p>\n

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Virgil Abloh is also a strong societal and identity symbol<\/strong> : this son of Ghanaian immigrants born in Illinois, has landed one of the most coveted jobs in fashion, for the flagship label of the LVMH<\/a> group. A remarkable success, in a sector considered rather elitist, in which few people of immigrant background are raised to such a prestigious position.<\/p>\n

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The brands are not mistaken: Virgil Abloh ticks all the boxes. He is a strong generational and community role model, in addition to being an outstanding designer who has been able to combine luxury and streetwear codes since the creation of his brand Off-White. But he is also a complete artist.<\/p>\n

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From his beginnings with Off-White, to his creative union with Ikea, through his first steps at Louis Vuitton, his omnipresence is disconcerting and the emulation, even idolatry, that he generates on both sides is reminiscent of that which has generated great fashion icons like Yves St. Laurent<\/a> in their time<\/strong>. Let’s bet on many new collaborations in the years to come. Will they all remain in the annals ? Only history will tell us.<\/p>\n

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Virgil Abloh x Ikea<\/h2>\n

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The most retained in the collective imagination because a priori incongruous, while very legitimate when we know the academic skills of Virgil Abloh, is the one of November 2019 with Ikea<\/a>. The very limited capsule, entitled MARKERAD<\/strong>, sold like hot cakes at the opening of the bakery to the “happy few” who were lucky enough to be able to get it despite the almost drastic conditions of acquisition (limitation of the quantities that can be purchased, queue on site from 6am, etc.).<\/p>\n

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Premi\u00e8re exposition de Virgil Abloh au \u00a9 Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Nike x Virgil Abloh<\/h2>\n

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Or the many collaborations with the Nike<\/a> brand, closer to the designer’s streetwear territory. The Air Max, the Air Jordan, the Blazer, the VaporMax… In total, 10 of Nike’s iconic models were revisited in 2017 by Virgil Abloh<\/strong> on the occasion of The Ten project. A series of sneakers, inspired by Michael Jordan, of whom the designer is a big fan, and by the 90s, and articulated around two themes – Revealing and Ghosting -, merging Virgil Abloh’s avant-garde approach and his sharp knowledge of design.<\/p>\n

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Nike – Vapormax x Virgil Abloh – Off-White \u00a9 Sneakernews<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Moncler x Virgil Abloh<\/h2>\n

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In June 2016<\/strong>, it is with Moncler<\/a> that Virgil Abloh signs a collection named Moncler O, inspired by the wardrobe of Scandinavian fishermen in the far north.<\/p>\n

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Spring-Summer 2017 Collection \u00a9 Virgil Abloh x Moncler<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Jimmy Choo x Virgil Abloh<\/h2>\n

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As for the Off-White c\/o Jimmy Choo<\/a><\/em> collaboration, it was released in February 2018. Virgil Abloh pays tribute to Lady Diana<\/strong>, unveiling a pair of ’90s-inspired shoes embellished with modern-day conceptual details. The models are thus adorned with plastic, tulle, flowery cases and stones, for a result that remains true to the DNA of both houses.<\/p>\n

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2018 collection \u00a9 Jimmy Choo x Off-White<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Mo\u00ebt & Chandon x Virgil Abloh<\/h2>\n

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In 2018, the prolific designer partnered with Champagne house Mo\u00ebt et Chandon<\/a> to create the Mo\u00ebt Imperial Nectar Ros\u00e9<\/strong> bottle with all-white labeling and Virgil Abloh’s signature “DO NOT DROP” etched on the side.<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 Virgil Abloh x Mo\u00ebt & Chandon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Rimowa x Virgil Abloh<\/h2>\n

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Again in 2018, Virgil Abloh signed for Rimowa<\/a> a See Through luggage in transparent polycarbonate with black handles, so the design of the container is determined by its contents.<\/p>\n

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Virgil Abloh x Rimowa – Transparent suitcase \u00a9 Milktaiwan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Baccarat X Virgil Abloh<\/h2>\n

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Released in 2019, the collection “Crystal Clear<\/em><\/strong>” from the crystal house Baccarat<\/a>, is signed by the hand of Virgil Abloh. The result: a collection consisting of a light fixture, vases, as well as some glasses. All made on demand and numbered.<\/p>\n

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