Virgil Abloh has died …

[LiterallyKnowsBest]

amp.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/nov/28/virgil-abloh-off-white-designer-dies-at-41

From The Guardian, but it’s all over the internet.

Awful.

LVMH

Was it a mistake mentioning an actual designer here?

His death is such a blow.

So young! Unbelievable. His death is a blow.

It is so sad, he was incredibly talented.

Very sad, I always liked him. From the tributes, it's clear so many looked up to him.

So young - it's very sad. You just think about how much more he might have achieved.

That's so sad What a unique talent.

I wrestled with the question of whether to put this thread in Black Mumsnet or S&B - and concluded the whole point of his singular success was that he should be celebrated here.

But he is a quite staggering loss.

Its a real blow. A multi talented man with a young family. Fuck cancer.

It's a personal tragedy and a massive loss to the industry - we'll never know now what he might have gone on to achieve. The tributes to him are very moving.

That's very sad, was shocked when I heard this morning - no idea he'd been ill. He was a really important figurehead for people of colour in fashion and so young.

I was stunned by this news. So much talent removed from us.

gosh, i'm shocked. no idea he had cancer. he had really amazing vision and uniqueness but amazing commercial skills too. he would have had decades more success.

Oh my goodness I missed this news, what a big loss. Such a talented man.

I had no idea he was ill. So young and such a loss to the fashion industry.

But most of all a loss to his family. His poor kids. RIP Virgil. Cancer really is a bastard.

Here’s an obituary from The Art Newspaper:

www.theartnewspaper.com/2021/11/29/bauhaus-baroque-and-marcel-duchamp-virgil-ablohs-life-in-art?utm_source=The+Art+Newspaper+Newsletters&utm_campaign=5d419101cc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2021_11_24_11_25&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c459f924d0-5d419101cc-43638845

Thanks for that literally. Really interesting how Italy and Italian Grand Master art was a big influence and that he met Kanye West as an intern in Rome! What a talent.

Sorry a sad loss, I've been thinking about this a lot and this stuck with me:

"While it's a tragedy we'll never know what else he could have achieved, perhaps his greatest legacy will be the tools he left for the next generation. Exactly as he would have wanted." Thank you Virgil, Rest in Power x

I hope his public legacy is to establish that the colour of your skin matters less than the quality of your talent.

No …

The fact that he was (was!) a black man was hugely important. It lent the greatest possible significance to his presence at the pinnacle of the design world.

He wasn’t there despite his racial heritage but with his racial heritage.

It mattered.

A dreadful loss. Taken too young and with so much left to give the design world.
An incredible designer, colaborator and business man. He was the first black man to lead shows for top designer houses.
He is an inspiration and has left us wondering what he might of gone on to achieve.

This is also worth reading. I’m often impressed by the comparative seriousness of SSense’s articles:

www.ssense.com/en-gb/editorial/fashion/virgil-abloh-artist-in-residence