Days after Virgil Abloh’s passing, his last show was presented in Miami during Art Basel with Kid Cudi and OffSet modeling in the star-studded tribute to the late designer. Fashion Editor Keyonna Butler reports.
On Tuesday, November 30th in Miami, Virgil Abloh’s last collection as the artistic director of Louis Vuitton was shown just days after his untimely death was announced. Not only was the runway used to show the last of his creations, the collection and the presentation became a celebration and tribute to the designer.
Known for mixing pop culture, art and fashion, I was curious to see what would be the inspiration for such an anticipated collection. I took in many themes and symbols that were captured in the design of the collection.
The name of this collection and accompanying film is “Amen Break” which was inspired by one of the most popular and sampled drum breaks from a funk and soul band The Winstons from the 1960’s. After some research, one would learn that even though this drum break from The Winstons “Amen Brother” was heavily used and sampled by many artists in the industry they were never compensated for their work. This could be related to Black culture within the fashion industry — heavily used for gain of success, and never credited or compensated.
I relate this information to Abloh’s collection because so many of the pieces relate to many different facades of Black culture to me. In one second, it gives me moments of Hip Hop culture when it first began in the Bronx during the 70’s and 80’s with trucker hats, coke bottle glasses, and colorful tracksuits. On the other hand it gave me moments of Black dandyism with clean silhouettes, blazers and long trench coats.
What I love most about this collection is how Abloh took his biggest criticism and made it into fashion. Before his death, many sites would accuse him of copying from other designers which could be a whole different conversation. During this last collection, his whole theme was inspired by sampling and how you can be inspired from one thing and make it your own. Isn’t that what true art is?
I would also like to believe that there is a message to not just the critics but the industry that Virgil was a part of, that it’s ok to be inspired as long as you give credit where credit is due.
Virgil also gave a nod to the Louis Vuitton signature which is the famous damier LV print which was featured throughout the collection being seen on bags, luggage and other accessory items. The whole feel of this collection was Hip Hop in luxury form. It was a mixture of aesthetics from street culture to dandyism and so many more.
The colors of the suits were so electrifying that they jumped off the screen, with neon greens, electric blues and hot pinks included in the color palette. There was even an element of mixture of prints as if it was collage art, mixing and matching prints and textiles to create each garment. The mixture of styles were amusing too, to see trench coats, ski masks, and top hats all in one collection and yet look so cohesive just amplified Virgil’s genius.
Overall, this collection was an example for why Virgil Abloh’s presence in fashion will be missed but never forgotten. He was a master of celebrating what was new and gave Louis Vuitton a fresh breath of air. His love for contemporary art and fashion was definitely showcased and was the reason he was such a great designer.
Virgil Abloh will forever be known as an innovative creative.