When French fashion house Louis Vuitton announced Virgil Abloh as artistic director in 2018, it would have took a brave soul to have guessed the impact he would ultimately have on both the house and the industry at large. Yet, in just shy of two and a half years, Abloh transformed not only how we see luxury fashion, but also the people we see behind it. Now, Louis Vuitton has teamed up with publishing house Assouline to honour the influence of the late designer.
Abloh’s influence reached far beyond the realm of fashion. Not only was he the first African-American to become creative director at Louis Vuitton, but his appointment also marked a vital moment in the world of luxury fashion. Abloh’s appointment was the beginning of the industry moving towards inclusivity, diversity, and empowerment.
More than just the creative director, Abloh’s work tells you that he was a visionary, pioneer, and probably one of the most influential people to impact fashion industry in this generation. Now, some 10 months on from the designer’s untimely passing, the fashion house celebrates his legacy with the book Louis Vuitton: Virgil Abloh, in collaboration with New York-based publishing company Assouline. It was announced on the brand’s Instagram page with the words: SOMETHING NEW IS COMING, and the hashtags: #VirgilAbloh and #VirgilWasHere.
The book will feature some 320 images, as well as reflections from Virgil’s private archive and inner circle, including NIGO, Naomi Campbell, Kendal Jenner, Kid Cudi and more. Assouline’s latest book is split into eight chapters, each covering one of Virgil’s menswear collections for the house. The book is worded by one of Abloh’s close collaborators Anders Christian Madsen and also includes some quotes from the designer.
Louis Vuitton: Virgil Abloh will launch on Assoulines shelves, and online on September 15, and will arrive with two covers, one featuring the red Balloon, and the other a Cartoon. The Balloon image is taken from Louis Vuitton’s SS/22 spinoff show that took place in Miami, while the cartoon artwork is created by cultural icon Reggieknow.
The book will also come in a special Ultimate Collection, featuring a specially packaged collectable box that is a homage to Virgil’s use of crates used for his SS/21 collection. An instant collector’s piece, it will include a separate insert exploring every sneaker Abloh designed for LV during his tenure as head designer.
Both the animated cover and the Balloon cover editions will be priced at $120, while the Ultimate Collection will retail at $1,200.
Images: Louis Vuitton
