Fashion - 17 September 2022

Virgil Abloh's visionary work for Louis Vuitton

 A posthumous Assouline coffee table book and the most beautiful photos

Virgil high-fives his daughter, Lowe, and his son, Grey—sitting next to his wife, Shannon—as he takes his bow at the Louis Vuitton fall-winter 2019 show. His family served as the greatest motivation in his mission to create a compassionate and tolerant world for the future.

Victor Virgile Gamma Rapho Getty Image

Düsseldorf, 15 September 2022: Assouline, the New York-based art book publisher with book boutiques in the most beautiful places in the world, has posthumously dedicated a book to fashion genius Virgil Abloh and his collaboration with Louis Vuitton. We show some of the most beautiful photos of this collector's item.

When Virgil Abloh made his first collections for Louis Vuitton in June 2018, fashion changed forever. It is the first ever coffee table book about the visionary designer, who died on 28 November 2021. The appointment of Virgil Abloh as artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collection - the first African-American to hold this position - marked a moment and also the starting point for a new era of luxury characterised by inclusivity, diversity and empowerment. Virgil Abloh had many inspirations, from the Wizard of Oz and James Baldwin to the hip-hop style of the 90s. All the major highlights of Abloh's time at Louis Vuitton are included - as well as the complete catalogue of Louis Vuitton sneakers.

The text in the book is written by Abloh's close collaborator Anders Christian Madsen, thus providing an intimate insider's portrait. Madsen notes that "as a black creative with no formal training in fashion design and no list of established fashion houses on his CV [...] Abloh saw himself as an infiltrator in high fashion: a true outsider who would become a seminal figure." The designer's inner circle also has their say: Nigo, Naomi Campbell, Luka Sabbat, Kendall Jenner and Kid Cudi talk about their encounters.

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Düsseldorf, 15. September 2022: Assouline, der Kunstbuchverlag mit Sitz in New York und Buch-Boutiquen in der schönsten Orten der Welt, hat posthum dem Modegenie Virgil Abloh und seiner Kooperation mit Louis Vuitton ein Buch gewidmet. Wir zeigen einige der schönsten Fotos dieses Sammelobjektes.

Als Virgil Abloh im Juni 2018 seine ersten Kollektionen für Louis Vuitton machte, veränderte sich die Mode für immer. Es ist der erste Bildband überhaupt über den visionären Designer, der am 28. November 2021 starb. Die Ernennung von Virgil Abloh zum künstlerischen Leiter der Herrenkollektion von Louis Vuitton - dem ersten Afroamerikaner in dieser Funktion - markierte einen Moment und auch den Ausgangspunkt für eine neue Ära des Luxus, die sich durch Inklusivität, Vielfalt und Empowerment auszeichnete. Virgil Abloh hatte viele Inspirationen, angefangen vom Zauberer von Oz und James Baldwin bis zum Hip-Hop-Stil der 90er Jahre. Alle wichtigen Höhepunkte von Ablohs Zeit bei Louis Vuitton sind enthalten - sowie der komplette Katalog der Louis Vuitton Sneaker.

Die Texte im Buch stammen von Ablohs engem Mitarbeiter Anders Christian Madsen, und bieten dadurch ein intimes Insider-Porträt. Madsen stellt fest, dass "Abloh als schwarzer Kreativer ohne formale Ausbildung in Modedesign und ohne eine Liste etablierter Modehäuser in seinem Lebenslauf [...] sich selbst als Infiltrator in der High Fashion sah: ein echter Außenseiter, der zu einer bahnbrechenden Figur werden würde." Auch der innerste Kreis des Designers kommt zu Wort: Nigo, Naomi Campbell, Luka Sabbat, Kendall Jenner und Kid Cudi erzählen von Ihren Begegnungen.

Cover of Assouline book Virgil Abloh Louis Vuitton

©Assouline

"There’s no limit... life is so short that you can’t waste even a day subscribing to what someone thinks you can do versus knowing what you can do."

Virgil Abloh 

During Louis Vuitton’s holiday 10 party in Paris, Virgil surprised guests with an impromptu DJ session that lasted for hours.

© Valerie Macon/AFP/Getty Images 

Anders Christian Madsen is a fashion writer who writes for international fashion publications and has been a fashion critic for British Vogue since 2017, as well as a consultant for leading fashion houses. Raised in Denmark, he graduated from London College of Fashion in 2009 and began his career as Fashion Features Director at i-D Magazine. Madsen was a close associate of Virgil Abloh during his time as Men's Artistic Director at Louis Vuitton from 2018 to 2021.

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Assouline and Louis Vuitton are publishing the title with two collectible images as part of the Assouline Classics Collection. One is from the Louis Vuitton Spring Summer 2022 show in Miami and shows a young child heading towards a red Louis Vuitton hot air balloon - a symbol of the importance of youth in Virgil's work. The other image is a cartoon by icon Reggieknow, who illustrated the characters for Virgil's Spring Summer 2021 show.

The book will also be available in an Ultimate Collection, packaged in a collector's box with a separate insert that serves as a compendium for every single sneaker Virgil has designed for Louis Vuitton, including this year's new Air Force 1s.

Find the book:

assouline.com

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Anders Christian Madsen ist ein Modeschriftsteller, der für internationale Modepublikationen schreibt und seit 2017 als Modekritiker für die britische Vogue tätig ist, sowie als Berater für führende Modehäuser. Aufgewachsen in Dänemark, machte er 2009 seinen Abschluss am London College of Fashion und begann seine Karriere als Fashion Features Director beim i-D Magazine. Madsen war ein enger Mitarbeiter von Virgil Abloh während seiner Zeit als Men's Artistic Director bei Louis Vuitton von 2018 bis 2021.

Assouline und Louis Vuitton veröffentlichen den Titel mit zwei Sammelbildern im Rahmen der Assouline Classics Collection. Eines stammt von der Louis Vuitton Frühjahr-Sommer-Show 2022 in Miami und zeigt ein kleines Kind, das auf einen roten Louis Vuitton-Heißluftballon zusteuert - ein Symbol für die Bedeutung der Jugend in Virgils Arbeit. Das andere Bild ist ein Cartoon der Ikone Reggieknow, die die Charaktere für Virgils Frühjahr-Sommer-Show 2021 illustriert hat.

Das Buch wird auch in einer Ultimate Collection erhältlich sein, die in einer Sammlerbox verpackt ist und einen separaten Einleger enthält, der als Kompendium für jeden einzelnen Sneaker dient, den Virgil für Louis Vuitton entworfen hat, einschließlich der diesjährigen neuen Air Force 

Drones spelled out “Virgil was here” at the finale of the spring-summer 2022 spin-off show in Miami staged two days after Virgil Abloh’s passing. Courtesy of Louis Vuitton @Assouline

As a designer born out of the hip-hop community, Virgil Abloh had been DJing since his late teens and continued to play gigs around the world after his appointment at Louis Vuitton; He even had a mixing deck installed in his studio space.

© Bogdan “Chilldays” Plakov 

Virgil Abloh launches a paper plane on the rainbow-colored runway at his Louis Vuitton spring-summer 2019 show in the Palais-Royal garden. Paper planes became a symbol of the childlike approach Abloh wanted to inspire in his audiences.

© Bogdan “Chilldays” Plakov 

As part of the fall-winter 2021 collection’s focus on his cultural and subcultural heritage, Virgil Abloh designed his first do-rag at Louis Vuitton. © Winter Vandenbrink 

“I realize my themes in my own image: young men of color, who, in the future, might be able to mirror themselves in the historical reflection of luxury as much as any white boy down the street.” — Virgil Abloh

© Bogdan “Chilldays” Plakov 

Checkerboard Sail and Multicolor Louis Vuitton Nike mid-top Air Force 1 overlaid with custom Vuitton graffiti by the iconic tattoo artist Ghusto Leon. The shoes retail for $3,450 © Louis Vuitton Malletier 

In coordination with the release of nine new editions of Abloh’s Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 in June 2022, the maison launched an exhibition in Brooklyn showcasing all forty-seven editions of the Air Force 1 imagined by Virgil Abloh, including these reflective metallic gold sneakers that referenced the designer’s first collection for Louis Vuitton.

© Louis Vuitton Malletier