Louis Vuitton pays tribute to Virgil Abloh in Miami

A hot air balloon hovers in the sky, red lights illuminate a paper airplane motif in mid-air, fireworks explode in splashes of color, symbols at Louis’ menswear show Vuitton at Maritime Marina in Miami on December 1 are symbols of freedom, liberation and ascension.

Louis Vuitton pays tribute to Virgil Abloh in Miami

The show, held during the Design Miami and Art Basel Miami Beach 2021 events, was originally planned as a spin-off of the SS2022, incorporating 30 new models into the brand’s upcoming offering. Following the departure of the brand’s menswear art director Virgil Abloh on Sunday, November 28, following a silent battle with cancer, the show has been revised to honor the self-made man. calling himself an ‘image maker’, not a ‘designer’ – a multi-creator, one of the few black male characters designing for a French luxury brand and the first person of color to design design for Louis Vuitton.

Towards what may have always been the focus of Abloh’s shows of Louis Vuitton, an image of his coming of age, a symbol of resounding success for so many. His Spring/Summer 2019 show, his first for the nearly 200-year-old brand – complete with a rainbow catwalk – hinted at the fairytale world of The Wizard of Oz. . After the show, Abloh left an upbeat message for millions of young creators around the globe, posting a picture of him topping the catwalk in the Palais Royal garden with the caption ‘You can do it too’.

The films introducing Louis Vuitton’s collection – broadcast at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, also completely won the hearts of everyone. For her Spring Summer 2022 collection, Abloh brought together musicians and poets of color, including Goldie, Saul Williams and Lupe Fiasco, in a story that focuses on passing on concepts and traditions across generations. .

The show in Miami – which was streamed live worldwide – opened with Abloh’s own words: “I’ve always aimed to focus on my art and my creativity, which is getting adults back into action. behave like children. That they return to this wonderful feeling.”

That sense of innocence, childhood spontaneity and unrestricted imagination are conveyed in the wild and fanciful designs: neon jackets and ties, puffy skirts and pleated kilt skirts, pants The LV-print tracksuit, which seems to defy convention, addresses both rave culture and formal wear.

The performance closed with Abloh ‘s poignant quotes : ‘Life is so short that it’s useless to waste a day worrying about what someone thinks you can do, while knowing what you can. do.”