This is pretty huge: Louis Vuitton has named Virgil Abloh, the founder of the elevated luxe-streetwear brand Off-White, as its new artistic director of menswear.
Abloh is set to present his first collection for the French house in June, which will take place during men’s fashion week in Paris. He is taking over for Kim Jones, who held the position for seven years, who will now oversees menswear at Christian Dior. Nicolas Ghesquiere is staying on as the artistic director of women’s collections.
There have been rumors circulating all year that Abloh was a likely candidate for the top spot that’s been vacant since January, but news of the announcement still shocked both fans of the storied brand and fans of Virgil, personally.
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Michael Burke, Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton, said in a statement that “having followed with great interest Virgil’s ascent since he worked with me at Fendi in 2006, I am thrilled to see how his innate creativity and disruptive approach have made him so relevant, not just in the world of fashion but in popular culture today.” Abloh, who has been the longtime creative director for Kanye West, has an almost cult-like fanbase for his Off-White clothing and pretty much everything else he does.