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| Virgil Abloh |
Who is Virgil Abloh?
A Chicago native born to Ghanaian parents, Virgil Abloh studied as a civil engineer at the University of Wisconsin, followed by a masters in architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology. Long-term creative advisor to rapper Kanye West, he launched his label, Off-White, in September 2013, which led to him becoming one of the finalists for the prestigious LVMH prize in 2015, which eventually went to the duo Marques’Almeida and the French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus.
His beginnings
In 2002, at only 22 years old, Virgil Abloh became Kanye West’s right-hand man, with his roles extending from merchandising to album artwork to set design. In 2009, Virgil Abloh interned at the fashion house Fendi in Rome, and soon decided to launch a concept store in his native Chicago alongside Don C, co-manager of Kanye West. Named RSVP Gallery, this concept store with green neon lights offered an exclusive selection of the hottest street designers and vintage couture pieces, and soon became a landmark for those in the know in Chicago. Virgil Abloh launched his first label, Pyrex Vision, in 2012, which saw Champion t-shirts and Ralph Lauren shirts printed with the Pyrex 23 logo. The brand soon gained popularity, inviting a creative crowd from Kanye West to A$AP Rocky to design exclusive capsule collections. From its beginnings, Pyrex was sold alongside the big fashion houses, in the most influential concept stores, including Colette in Paris, Union in Los Angeles, GR8 in Tokyo and Storm in Copenhagen.
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