Virgil Abloh is the man of the moment in fashion; after steering Off White into the collective (celebrity) consciousness, he was appointed creative director of Louis Vuitton. This is his first menswear show, and it’s got a LOT going on — some extremely simple stuff, and some that’s erupting in color. He also apparently, per Fashionista:
“… explained that he put a heavy emphasis on the “global view on diversity linked to the travel DNA of the brand,” and as a result, the show notes featured a world diagram depicting each model’s birthplace, as well as the birthplace of their parents. (“They will be able to identify who the models are, what they do… It’s about giving them an identity, about them no longer being anonymous bodies.”)
He also invited 3,000 design students and gave them each a t-shirt, which was a particular color based on where their seat was, so that the crowd would mirror the rainbow effect of the runway itself. I’ve not been a HUGE fan of Off White, or at least it’s hit or miss for me, but I’m curious — in a good way — what his energy and theatricality will mean for the rest of LV. He’s great story: Abloh is a first-generation Ghanaian-American and apparently has no formal design training, and yet has ascended to being the first black director of Louis Vuitton. When the show was over, he cried in Kanye’s arms. I am not made of stone.
This is just a sampling of what he and the Valentino folks sent down the runways; they have in common a lot of bright patterns — we saw some of Valentino’s camo on some NBA stars in the front row — so I figured we’d pull some selects for you to enjoy and imagine being offered to Intern George. A note: Because of the length and quantity of the runway slideshows, per our new usual, we won’t comment on every slide. So if there isn’t a caption, you’re not crazy, and we didn’t fall asleep.
