Named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018, Virgil Abloh is an American fashion designer and entrepreneur.
After a long battle with cardiac angiosarcoma, an uncommon, belligerent type of cancer, Vigil Abloh passed away on Sunday, November 28, 2021.
This news came from his verified Instagram account. He died aged 41 years old.
Vigil Abloh was a celebrated Ghanaian American Menswear designer at Louis Vuitton.
Below are 10 interesting facts about him that you need to know.
1. Ghanaian Heritage
Virgil Abloh was born on September 30, 1980, in Chicago, Illinois to immigrant parents from Ghana. He is from the Ewe tribe
2. Vigil Abloh didn’t start out as a designer.
He initially trained as an Engineer. Before fame, he graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2002. He went ahead to study for a master’s in architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
3. Love life
Abloh wed his wife Shannon in 2009. He met her in high school.
4. Work with Kanye West
Abloh worked for Kanye West in 2009 as his creative director at DONDA. He oversaw shows and created merchandise for the musician’s brand.
5. Nomination for a Grammy Award
The fashion revolutionary was nominated for a Grammy for his work on Jay Z and Kanye West’s 2011 joint album “Watch the Throne.” Abloh won an award for best recording package.
6. Entry into Fashion Industry
Abloh entered the fashion industry in 2012 after founding his own brand, Pyrex Vision. Soon after he will become popular in the industry. A year after founding Pyrex Vision, he shut it down calling it a ‘side project’ and ‘artistic experiment’.
7. Off-White
He founds Off-white in Milan in 2012. Top names in the entertainment industry like Rihanna, Travis Scott, Beyonce, etc., have worn this brand. It was through this brand that he shot to fame.
8. First black person at Louis Vuitton
Abloh made history in 2018 with his appointment as artistic director Louis Vuitton, one of the world’s top ready-wear lines.
9. Time Magazine Most Influential Person
In 2018, Abloh was also featured on Times Magazine’s list of 100 most influential persons in the world. The year preceding this, he became GQ’s International designer of the year.
10. He was a family man and enjoyed Disk Jockeying
He is survived by his wife, Shannon Abloh, and two children. Abloh loved music, and while at school and college, he would DJ at house parties. Soon, he started playing internationally and would release his own music. He even became a resident DJ at a Las Vegas nightclub in 2019.
Source: unitedshowbiz.com.gh