The rumours have been swirling for weeks and today the LVMH Moët Hennessy group finally confirmed that Virgil Abloh has been appointed Menswear Artistic Designer at Louis Vuitton.
The Off-White founder and former creative director for Kanye West succeeds Kim Jones and will show his first collection in June, during Men’s Fashion Week in Paris.
"Having followed with great interest Virgil's ascent since he worked with me at Fendi in 2006, I am thrilled to see how his innate creativity and disruptive approach have made him so relevant, not just in the world of fashion but in popular culture today," Michael Burke, Louis Vuitton chairman and CEO said in a statement shared on Instagram this morning. "His sensibility towards luxury and savoir-faire will be instrumental in taking Louis Vuitton menswear into the future."
"It is an honour for me to accept the position of men’s artistic director for Louis Vuitton. I find the heritage and creative integrity of the house are key inspirations and will look to reference them both while drawing parallels to modern times," Abloh said of his first major appointment.
Abloh's appointment follows the departure of Kim Jones who left his role in January. Last week, it was announced that Jones would become the men’s wear designer at Christian Dior, replacing Kris van Assche.
Abloh founded his own label Off-White in 2013. It was also confirmed today that he will continue to work on the brand alongside his new role at Louis Vuitton. In 2015, Off-White was a named finalist for the LVMH Young Designers Prize. Last year Abloh received the Urban Luxe award at the British Fashion Awards.
A keen collaborator, Abloh has worked with everyone from Nike to Jimmy Choo and a soon to be released and highly-anticipated homeware line with Ikea.
