When Virgil Abloh’s died at the young age of 41, the creative force had already left behind a massive body of work. Now, his legacy will continue through the newly announced Virgil Abloh Securities, which according to a release, is a “Virgil Abloh founded creative corporation” to continue the designer’s ethos and essence globally through a variety of yet to be announced initiatives. His wife, Shannon Abloh, will be the organization’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director.
The collective will be staffed by Virgil’s longstanding creative collaborators using the late designer’s innovative methodology. The scope of projects spanned industries and disciplines of art, architecture, engineering, creative direction, artistic direction, industrial design, fashion design, music, film, writing, and philanthropy. In a release, it was stated that Shannon Abloh would make further announcements this summer. A spokesperson confirmed that it could be as soon as later in June.
Shannon Abloh speaks onstage during The Fashion Scholarship Fund 85th Annual Awards Gala on April … [+]
Getty Images for Fashion Scholarship Fund
Abloh’s enthusiasm for design eclipsed other creatives and often left him spread thin. Though the impression was, he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. A former publicist once remarked he was often on several flights a day to manage his projects and collaborative commitments. To grasp the scope of his work which expanded beyond Off-White and Louis Vuitton, a quick scan of VirgilAbloh.com reveals the breadth of his career. Abloh worked with brands beyond fashion, such as Evian, IKEA, and Mercedes-Benz, where his aesthetic and ideas were applied to automobiles. LVMH has supported collections and projects post-mortem; most recently, the Nike X Louis Vuitton exhibit on display in Greenpoint, which wrapped on May 31st.
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Virgil Abloh Securities will also launch a new philanthropic institution that will presumably build upon some of the projects in this area that Abloh has already been impassioned about creating, such as the Fashion Scholarship Fund for Black Students. The aforementioned Nike X Louis Vuitton exhibit featured a style that auctioned 200 pairs raising over $25.3 million for the fund. It was Abloh’s goal to actively “create pathways for greater equity and inclusion for diverse talents across creative industries.” Abloh was vocal about such causes, teaming up with Stussy for a T-shirt, for example, created for the “I Support Young Black Businesses” initiative.
