There Is NO Justice: Louis Vuitton Men's Virgil Abloh Passes From Virulent Cancer

Virgil Abloh, the founder of luxury streetwear brand Off-White and artistic director of men’s wear at Louis Vuitton, died in Houston Sunday at age 41. Abloh has battled a rare cancer cardiac angiosarcoma for two years.

Abloh’s role within LVMH “made him the most powerful Black executive in the most powerful luxury group in the world”, wrote Vanessa Friedman for the New York Times.

“We are devastated to announce the passing of our beloved Virgil Abloh, a fiercely devoted father, husband, son, brother, and friend,” a message posted on the designer’s Instagram account stated. “He is survived by his loving wife Shannon Abloh, his children Lowe Abloh and Grey Abloh, his sister Edwina Abloh, his parents Nee and Eunice Abloh, and numerous dear friends and colleagues.”

For people who didn’t know this well-kept secret — like us — news of Virgil Abloh’s passing is a grade AAA gut punch.

“Virgil is incredibly good at creating bridges between the classic and the zeitgeist of the moment,” Michael Burke, chief executive of Louis Vuitton, told The New York Times when Mr. Abloh was named to the luxury brand.

As Friedman points out, Virgil Abloh was controversial in his approach to design — not having any formal education in fashion. Abloh had no difficulties acknowledging ways in which he borrowed, built upon and transformed the designs of others into his own. He studied civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received a master’s degree in architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology. These tools gave him a definite design perspective — which combined with superb instincts in understanding how to generate cultural currency in today’s consumer world.

To be honest, with Bernard Arnault backing him with the world’s biggest luxury brand, Louis Vuitton, I don’t think it matters all that much what “some people” thought of Abloh’s approach to design. The son of Ghanaian immigrants who lived in Rockford, Illinois, grew up immersed in skate culture and hip-hop.

Virgil Abloh’s rise was closely involved with Kanye West. Since AOC is NOT a fan of Kanye West — and less so every day — you can refresh your memory at the NYT.

In a historical timeline that Abloh shared with GQ’s Tom Bettridge, this quote resonates:

“There was a professor by the name of Louise Wilson, who was the head of the [master's program] at Central Saint Martins in London, and she was the teacher for some of the greatest designers of our time. Kanye and I sat with her, and we were like, “Hey, we want to learn the right way.” And she basically said, “You guys are idiots. You know more than my students. Why on earth would you want to go to fashion school?” But that process was sort of how we ended up interning at Fendi. And when we were there, we did all the meetings. We were off the radar in Rome, getting to work at 9 a.m. on a Monday. We did all the intern shit, and this was in the midst of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. We went to Hawaii after this period.

WSJ Magazine has a solid overview of Virgil Abloh’s work, and my link should give you access.

British Vogue EIC Edward Enninful called Abloh “a giant among men”, writing:

“Virgil Abloh changed the fashion industry. Famously prolific, he always worked for a greater cause than his own illustrious career: to open the door to art and fashion for future generations, so that they – unlike himself – would grow up in a creative world with people to mirror themselves in.”

Wondering if Ralph Lauren had weighed in yet on Abloh’s passing, AOC learned that his first design was a screenprint on a Ralph Lauren rugby shirt. Lauren was on my mind because in November 2020, I learned that one of our most prominent anti-racist voices Ibram X. Kendi has battled colon cancer.

His own revelation came a few months after ‘Black Panther’ star Chadwick Boseman died of cancer on my birthday. This is the same day — August 28 — that Emmett Louis Till was lynched beyond recognition in Mississippi in 1955.

Till didn’t die of cancer, but I’ve studied the evolving positive linkage between racism and diseases like cancer for several years now. The scientific paradigm ties the constant stress of racism in the lives of Black people to chronic inflammation in the body — similar to that of being in war for extended periods of time or a prolonged situation of verbal and/or physical abuse.

The ties between inflammation and disease — in the form of genetic damage due to inflammation — grow stronger every year, now that scientists better understand inflammation of the body and its impact on health generally.

AOC isn’t suggesting that all of these creative and masterfully talented young Black men are getting cancer because of systemic racism. But we all should at least be knowledgeable about the topic. And with Ralph Lauren being so involved for decades now in funding major cancer research projects and care, I suspect that some of his own activism is grounded in the scientific knowledge he has acquired on this very subject.

Ralph’s recent holiday 2021 campaign — one of the most activist I’ve ever seen from any luxury brand — assures me that he understands the cancer-related toll that discrimination and racism, sexism and anti-LGBTQ policies take on the human body. I really applaud Ralph’s efforts and in the case of Virgil Abloh, I literally screamed in disbelief at what I was reading. When I wrote “There is no justice,” those words are coming from a deeply emotional belief. ~ Anne

Pyer Moss by Kerby Jean-Raymond Covers Blanc Magazine Winter 2020

Pyer Moss by Kerby Jean-Raymond Covers Blanc Magazine Winter 2020

Pyer Moss was founded in 2013 by Haitian-American, New York-born fashion designer Kerby Jean-Raymond, who describes his brand as an “art project” or “a timely social experiment” at times. Pyer Moss aims to use its voice and platform to challenge social narratives and evoke dialogue. The Pyer Moss collections are produced in New York City, Italy and Portugal.

In September 2018, Pyer Moss invited Fashion Week to Weeksville, the historic black neighborhood in Brooklyn, Pyer Moss showed the second installment of the designer’s “American, Also” series, a three-part series of collections addressing the erasure of African American narratives in popular culture to critical acclaim. Vogue called the show “the best of the season”.

In mid-2019 Jean-Raymond became a “thought partner” as artistic director of Reebok Studies.

In this special Blanc Magazine Winter 2020 Blanc Magazine cover story, models Faith Jaggernauth and Lang Jobe are lensed by photographers Teneshia Carr and Vanessa Zican Feng. / Makeup by Christyna Kay

Blanc Magazine sends a message that resonates on this Martin Luther King Day .

Adidas Three Stripes Campaign by Pharrell Williams Implores Us | Don't Be Quiet Please

adidas Three Stripes Campaign by Pharrell Williams Implores Us | Don't Be Quiet Please AOC Fashion

Pharrell Williams, tennis legend Stan Smith and adidas Tennis want to reinvigorate the world through the power of love and positivity. The Three Stripes  (Don't Be) QUIET PLEASE campaign launched Saturday at Frederick Johnson Community Court in Harlem. adidas brought together some of its most talented tennis athletes: Garbiñe Muguruza, Angelique Kerber, Sascha Zverev, Dominic Thiem and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and the local youth to launch its new campaign.

Three Stripes collaborator Pharrell Williams’ is launching his first performance tennis collection, bringing tennis into the modern world -- much as the Williams sisters have done. As a huge Hillary Clinton supporter and 2016 presidential campaigner, Pharrell Williams knows that equality, community, and sportsmanship are core to everything he stands for -- and citizen activism is a must. Three Stripes is a tennis collection that seeks to elicit an emotional connection around our shared humanity through art and design. The premium collection will be available at adidas and Billionaire Boys Club flagships, adidas.com, and select retailers globally August 31st.

Adidas and Pharrell Williams announced a community program including the restoration of a New York City tennis court through a donation to the NYC Parks and children's tennis scholarships in partnership with Court16 and Horizons.