Louis Vuitton paid tribute to Virgil Abloh on Thursday (Jan. 20) by presenting his designs at the Men’s Fashion Week show in Paris, France. The collection, Abloh’s fall/winter 2022 showcase, was the last one he created before his untimely death in November.
The Paris fashion show was meant to “consolidate the themes and messages of [Abloh’s] eight-season arc,” Louis Vuitton said in a statement.
Abloh joined Louis Vuitton in 2018 as the artistic director of the brand’s menswear line, becoming the first African American artistic director at a French luxury fashion house. The Illinois native was also well-known for his Milan-based label Off-White, which he founded in 2013.
Tragically, Abloh passed away in November after suffering a two-year battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer called cardiac angiosarcoma. He was 41 years old.
Thursday’s Louis Vuitton fashion show is the latest effort to honor Abloh’s creative vision. After his death; Kanye West, Rihanna, 21 Savage, Pharrell Williams, Lil Baby and more attended his final runway show, “Virgil Was Here,” in Miami. The show featured Abloh’s spring/summer 2022 Louis Vuitton menswear collection, which was modeled by the likes of Offset, Quavo, Kid Cudi and more at the Miami Marine Stadium.
The following month, Westside Gunn, a frequent collaborator of Abloh’s, paid tribute to his late friend at his Art Basel debut.
“Virgil was one of those guys that was like a true brother to me behind the scenes. He’s the one who got me to go to Paris in the first place — I had never even left the country, bro. The reason why I went to Paris is because of Virgil,” Gunn explained. “Virgil played my song at the Off-White show. Virgil dressed me for fashion week. Just the inspiration from all of that, I went to the studio and made the first half of Pray For Paris in Paris, because it started as an EP. So the Pray For Paris was made in Paris, and it was all because of Virgil. He did the cover. All that.”
See photos from Louis Vuitton’s Virgil Abloh tribute show on Twitter below.
Fashion house Louis Vuitton paid homage to Virgil Abloh with a presentation of his final collection in Paris, taking to a surreal setting featuring a sunken house and oversize bed https://t.co/Pv6pqxEFcJ 1/4 pic.twitter.com/dx3DzThhbR
— Reuters Showbiz (@ReutersShowbiz) January 20, 2022
Abloh, the American-born son of Ghanaian immigrants who became fashion's highest-profile Black designer and the creative mind behind Louis Vuitton's menswear collections, died in November following a two-year battle with a rare form of cancer 2/4 pic.twitter.com/GxTBC2WEiH
— Reuters Showbiz (@ReutersShowbiz) January 20, 2022
Abloh's arrival at LVMH in 2018 marked the marriage between streetwear and high-end fashion, mixing sneakers and camouflage pants with tailored suits and evening gowns. His influences included graffiti art, hip hop and skateboard culture 3/4 pic.twitter.com/Wdntt7VNxV
— Reuters Showbiz (@ReutersShowbiz) January 20, 2022
The show was meant to 'consolidate the themes and messages of the eight-season arc' created by the designer at the luxury house, according to the LVMH-owned label https://t.co/Pv6pqxEFcJ 4/4 pic.twitter.com/FqEKy84cdI
— Reuters Showbiz (@ReutersShowbiz) January 20, 2022
beautiful tribute to the genius designer. these are my favorite from @LouisVuitton fall 2022 menswear. what a stunning and very well made collection. the show was also amazing. thank you, Virgil, for the endless artistry and innovation you brought into the world #LVMenFW22 pic.twitter.com/nx1jJtsmmG
— Retha ༊ (@fleurenjuin) January 20, 2022
Louis Vuitton Men FW22 by Virgil Abloh pic.twitter.com/bAV4WMKfPV
— Kea (@jacquemusx) January 20, 2022