In Chicago, creative luminary Virgil Abloh gets his first museum exhibition
Abloh concludes the autumn/winter 2019 Off-White womenswear runway show
Creative visionary Virgil Abloh is quite the polymath entrepreneur; he pioneers a practice that cuts across media and connects visual artists, musicians, graphic designers, fashion labels and architects. The Rockford, Illinois-born designer has his own brand, Off-White, a luxury streetwear label beloved of global hipsters; he designs furniture; he DJs; and he joined global luxury behemoth Louis Vuitton last year in a move that fashion watchers described as a changing of the guard. Lest you didn’t already know – and four years ago, many people didn’t – Abloh held another hugely influential creative role as style adviser to rapper and fashion maven Kanye West.
It’s fitting, then, that Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art presents Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech, as the first museum exhibition devoted to the 38-year-old. Abloh cultivated an interest in design and music from a young age, inspired by Chicago’s street culture. While pursuing his master’s degree in architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology, he connected with West and joined his creative team to work on album covers, concert designs and merchandising. By 2013, Abloh had founded Off-White in Milan; five years later, he became men’s artistic director of Louis Vuitton in March 2018 following the departure of Kim Jones for Dior.
Set in an immersive space designed by the research studio of Rem Koolhaas’s renowned OMA architectural firm, Figures of Speech offers an in-depth look at Abloh’s career-defining highlights, with projects for the likes of IKEA and Nike, and it all makes for premium Instagram viewing. Until September 22; mcachicago.org
Looks from Louis Vuitton men’s collection (“Dark Side of the Rainbow”) for spring/summer 2019
Look from Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh, spring/summer 2014
The designer heads to Paris for Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art book meeting at Louis Vuitton headquarters
The Been Trill crew – including Abloh, Matthew Williams, Florencia Galarza, Heron Preston and Justin Saunders – behind the DJ decks in 2013
Press plate for Jay-Z & Kanye West’s Watch the Throne album, 2011
“Wet Grass” woven rug prototype by Abloh for IKEA, 2018
Hacienda Columns sculpture, 2019 (Abloh and Ben Kelly)
Colour Gradient Chairs, 2018
Images: Courtesy of Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh. Photo: Enrico Ranzato (Look from Off-White); Louis Vuitton Malletier/Ludwig Bonnet (Looks from Louis Vuitton men’s collection); Photo: Bogdan Plakov (Abloh concludes the autumn/winter 2019 Off-White womenswear runway show); Photo: Hanna García Fleer (The designer heads to Paris for Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art book meeting at Louis Vuitton headquarters); courtesy of the artist (Press plate,Colour Gradient Chairs,Hacienda Columns sculpture); Photo: Matthieu Genre (The Been Trill crew); courtesy of IKEA (“Wet Grass” woven rug prototype)
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