This week, designer Virgil Abloh’s final menswear collection for Louis Vuitton debuted at Miami Art Basel. The show came just days after Abloh’s sudden death of cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare form of cancer. He was just 41.

The son of Ghanaian immigrant parents to the US, Abloh studied engineering and architecture before finding fame as Kanye West’s creative director. Over the course of his career, Abloh dabbled in music, art, architecture and design. But he’s perhaps best remembered for redefining luxury fashion to include chic hoodies and highly covetable sneakers. Senior Guardian fashion writer Lauren Cochrane tells Nosheen Iqbal Abloh’s influence can be seen in the way all of us dress.

Abloh also mentored a generation of black designers; British fashion designer Samuel Ross was one of them. When Ross was just embarking on his career, there were few black role models in the industry. On a whim, he reached out to Abloh on Instagram – sparking what would become a long-running creative collaboration. Ross explains why Abloh pushed back against the “streetwear” label and why he wanted his creative legacy to extend well beyond fashion.

Source: The Guardian

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