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“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
When Virgil Abloh took his first bow for Louis Vuitton in June 2018, a large hole was left in the Parisian Maison and in the fashion industry as a whole.
© Bogdan Chilldays Plakov
Virgil was a visionary. A designer who was always pushing boundaries and thinking of the future in his designs. In honour of his life and work, Louis Vuitton has released a new book on the designer, looking back at some of his most iconic moments at the Maison.
The first book on the visionary designer since his passing on November 28, 2021, Louis Vuitton: Virgil Abloh celebrates the appointment of Virgil Abloh as Men’s Artistic Director at Louis Vuitton. He was the house’s first African-American to hold that role and marked both a moment and a movement, the origin point of luxury’s new era, one defined by inclusivity, diversity, and empowerment.
© Bogdan Chilldays Plakov
Written by Abloh’s close collaborator, Anders Christian Madsen, the title offers an intimate, insider portrait of a man born to break boundaries on and off the runway.
Louis Vuitton: Virgil Abloh is divided into eight chapters, one for each of Virgil’s Louis Vuitton menswear collections and shows, plus the complete catalogue of the designer’s sneakers.
The book invites readers to discover a rainbow-coloured world filled with rich cultural reference points and narratives, from The Wizard of Oz and James Baldwin to ‘90s hip-hop style and a mind-bending 1969 drum solo.
It features over 320 iconic images and personal reflections from Virgil’s inner circle, including Nigo, Naomi Campbell, Luka Sabbat, Kendall Jenner, and Kid Cudi.
© Jean Baptiste Mondino
Interspersed with quotes from Virgil Abloh himself, or “Abloh-isms,” the title is also accompanied by in-depth captions that allow the reader to contextualize every stage of the designer’s story—both personal and professional—at Louis Vuitton.
All the major highlights of Abloh’s tenure at Louis Vuitton are included, including his first campaign for the Maison; Shot by Inez & Vinoodh, featuring a three-year-old girl dressed in a sample-sized Yellow Brick Road sweater from the spring-summer 2019 collection.
© Louis Vuitton Malletier
Assouline and Louis Vuitton are releasing the title with two collectable covers within the Assouline Classics Collection. The book will also be available in an Ultimate Collection; packaged in a collectable box referencing Virgil’s use of shipping crates in the spring-summer 2021 collection. The Ultimate also features a special, separate insert that serves as a compendium for every single sneaker Virgil designed for Louis Vuitton, including this year’s new Air Force 1s.
