Virgil Abloh, the brains behind beloved streetwear brand Off-White and Kanye West’s creative director, has been named the next artistic director of the iconic French fashion house’s menswear division. Abloh, who is replacing designer Kim Jones, said he will continue to oversee the Off-White and work with West. And with so many celebrity fans, it’s no wonder a few of his famous friends, including Kim Kardashian, have taken to social media to congratulate the multi-hyphenate (he also moonlights as a DJ) on his prestigious new gig.
After the news broke of Abloh’s appointment on Monday, March 26, Mrs. Kanye West tweeted “this is major” in response to the announcement. The first generation Ghanaian-American, who will be the first black man to lead LV, first met West when the two were interns at Fendi some 12 years ago. He became a creative partner of the rapper and earned a Grammy nomination for his work art directing Jay-Z and West’s 2011 album Watch the Throne.
🔥🔥🔥 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼 @virgilabloh This is so major! Congrats Virg!!! https://t.co/Bya0UmAT5x
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) March 26, 2018
Bella Hadid, who regularly walks in Off-White runway shows and accompanied the designer to the 2017 CFDA Fashion Awards wearing one of his designs, sweetly shared her excitement over the news on Instagram writing, “Virgil for Louis V! You deserve this in every way! I’m so proud of you … Congratulations buddy!!!! More wine! More history!”
Hailey Baldwin also praised the decision, sharing a pic of her and the designer with the caption, “[C]ongratulations on this major moment, nobody is more deserving.”
With no formal design training, the 37-year-old studied architecture and civil engineering while learning the technicalities of clothing design and construction from his mother who was a seamstress. He launched his streetwear label Off-White in 2013 and became a favorite of it-girls like Hadid, Baldwin and Kaia Gerber. Everyone from tennis-great Roger Federer to Drake, meanwhile, was spotted in a pair of his highly buzzed about Off-White x Nike sneakers last summer.
With some 3 million Instagram followers for Off-White and 1.7 million on his own account, the designer certainly brings his own buzz and social savvy to the iconic label. According to reports, Abloh plans to move to Paris for the new gig, though both the Milan-based Off-White and his longtime collab with Kanye will live on. His first collection for LV will debut during Paris Men’s Fashion Week in June.
