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uxury French fashion brand Louis Vuitton recently made the announcement that Virgil Abloh will be replacing Kim Jones ,who left after the release of the Fall 2018 collection in January, as the brand’s men’s artistic director with Abloh’s first show slotted in for the Men’s Fashion Week in Paris which will take place in June.
While French Brands are scarcely headed by French Men or Women one can’t help but notice the lack of racial diversity in those seated the helm of affairs with a few exceptions which is why 37 year old Virgil Abloh’s appointment as the new artistic director is history making as he is the first black man to take this prestigious position.
Virgil Abloh had this to say about the brand:
“I find the heritage and creative integrity of the house are key inspirations and will look to reference them both while drawing parallels to modern times.”
Here are 7 facts to know about Virgil Abloh…
1. Virgil Abloh is of Ghanaian descent as both parents are from Ghana.
2. He is the founder of Milan based fashion streetwear brand Off-white.
3. He was listed on Business Of Fashion one of the Top Fifty People shaping the global fashion industry.
4. He was the creative director for the Jay Z /Kanye West album Watch The Throne in 2012 for which he was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Pacakage.
5. Prior to being given this position, Abloh’s name has been linked to LVMH. In early 2017 following Riccardo Tisci’s departure from Givenchy, it was rumored that Abloh had held talks with LVMH although this was dismissed by the luxury fashion house.
6. He is quite multifaceted, despite being a designer and creative director, he is also a DJ and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering as well as a Master’s degree in Architecture.
7. He is Louis Vuitton’s first African-American designer and creative director.
Photo credit: Getty Images
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