By Shayler Richmond
Virgil Abloh understands the importance of positioning; Abloh is manifesting innovation, diversifying the fashion narrative, and monetizing a different way of thinking; Abloh is capitalizing on the movement of ideas, thoughts, people, and actions.
Abloh is the creator and designer of clothing brands Pyrex, and Off-White; he is also the first African American menswear designer and creative director for Louis Vuitton.
“I see “streetwear” as more of a catchphrase to define a way of making, rather than what people might define as a style of clothing,” said Vigirl Abloh (“Figures of Speech” Documentary, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago).
“In my eyes streetwear is an art movement, less a fashion trend,” he continued.
Abloh is an artist driven to make work that attracts both purist and tourist: he defines purisit as people who find value and meaning in underlying premise; he defines tourists as curious individuals actively seeking fulfill their need to witness or be in the know.
Abloh comes from a generation that revels in the freedom to be ironic because the ability to use irony is a dual language where people can simultaneously transcend while remaining where they are. The dual language resonated with the two toned cultural climate that is giving way to change but also rooted in tradition.
As with every new generation, older generations are attempting to enforce tradition while the younger generations are destroying the norm; a constant push and pull, today the catalyst of change is the internet.
Before the internet, and certainly with the help of the internet, marketing and advertising are progressively influencing culture. Abloh identifies with the power of advertising and how it drives culture, politics, decisions and taste.
In the often murky media mix Vigirl Abloh embodies a clear vision; construction and reconstruction; structure and deconstruction; rebuilding to reflect culture today and move culture forward with provatice design and ideas that inspire and create space for all people.
Abloh is tearing apart the norm with his creativity by showing the world how to own your space and move through the world with the knowledge that any space is yours.