Virgil Abloh dabbled in music, art, architecture, and design. He was a Renaissance man whose influence and creative legacy extends well beyond fashion. The newest addition to Assouline’s Ultimate Collection, Louis Vuitton: Virgil Abloh by Anders Christian Madsen, is an intimate portrait of the artist. It is divided into eight chapters and features over 320 stunning images. There are stories from his inner circle, personal reflections, cultural references, and the type of artistic gossip and creative showmanship that would be at home in Andy Warhol’s factory. As Abloh famously stated, “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 will forever be remembered as the outsider artist who redefined luxury fashion to include chic hoodies and covetable sneakers. He brought a hip-hop aesthetic to the fashion world and turned the runway into a Basquiat-styled canvas. The son of Ghanaian immigrant parents, Virgil Abloh was also the first African-American to hold the role of Men’s Artistic Director at Louis Vuitton. From 2018 to his final Menswear Collection at Miami Art Basel in 2021 (the show debuted just before his sudden death at age 41), Abloh was a visionary who transformed the fashion industry, ushering forth a new era of collaboration, mentorship, inclusivity, and empowerment. Made in Italy, Louis Vuitton: Virgil Abloh includes a clamshell in printed silk with foil stamping and comes with white gloves and a large signature canvas tote.
Among the many collaborations of Virgil Abloh, check out the 2023 Mercedes-Maybach S680 by Virgil Abloh.