{"id":41195,"date":"2021-11-29T20:36:13","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T20:36:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/?post_type=articles&p=41195"},"modified":"2021-12-01T00:08:09","modified_gmt":"2021-12-01T00:08:09","slug":"a-love-letter-to-virgil-abloh-from-a-fellow-streetwear-kid","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/graziamagazine.com\/us\/articles\/a-love-letter-to-virgil-abloh-from-a-fellow-streetwear-kid\/","title":{"rendered":"A Love Letter to Virgil Abloh, From A Fellow Streetwear Kid"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Graphic by: Shelton Boyd-Griffith.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How can I possibly summarize the impact of one of my idols in 1,200 words or less? I can’t. I’ve written, deleted and re-typed this paragraph countless times. How can I express the ways in which Virgil Abloh influenced and altered the course of my life? The answer is to write from the heart. And, that’s what this is: a heartfelt, personal essay about the myriad ways Virgil impacted my life\u2014allowed this sneaker-loving kid to feel seen in the global fashion space, broadened my knowledge of cultural and artistic movements, dared me to create without limits, and showed me that a Black kid from the Midwest can do anything. I would be remiss if I didn’t give credit to Virgil for teaching me, and so many Black millennial kids alike, that it was OK to pull inspiration from anywhere, that it was OK to dabble in multiple disciplines, and to creatively explore without bounds. I’m, in part, here today doing what I do because of the school of Abloh.<\/p>\n

Along with the rest of the world, the news of his passing came as a shock to me yesterday. How could such an integral cultural force be taken from us so soon? Abloh, the multi-hyphenate, polymath, renaissance man\u2014Jack of all trades\u2014leaves behind an immeasurable absence. He revolutionized the creative director role, shifted the focus to the intention behind branding and marketing, merged worlds, and helped cement high-end streetwear in the fashion cannon. Accolades, accomplishments and cultural zeitgeist moments aside, Virgil inspired an entire generation of thinkers, dreamers and doers to go forth and create infinitely\u2014including me.<\/p>\n

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Virgil Abloh during the Louis Vuitton Menswear Fall\/Winter 2020-2021 show. Photo by Victor VIRGILE\/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I grew up experiencing fashion via traditional print magazines in the early 2000s, but I never saw anything in the glossies that represented me\u2014me, this weird, Black pre-teen who skateboarded, wore Vans and Chucks, listened to N.E.R.D., LCD Soundsystem, and Kanye, and was inspired, in equal parts, by indie rock, BBC, The Hundreds and Bape. That was until I joined Tumblr in 2009 and saw that iconic image of The Rat Pack<\/a>, including Virgil, photographed by Tommy Ton outside a Comme des Gar\u00e7ons show\u2014and from there I felt seen. Virgil in that blue Moncler puffer, grey slacks and Yellow sneakers with a bow-tie\u2014juxtaposing prep, with in-demand sneakers and throwing in a mix of high end\u2014a vision of streetwear as we know it today, its interjection into the fashion vernacular. I instantly became fascinated by Abloh. With Tumblr as my medium, I learned more about him, this man behind the scenes. He was an arbiter of taste and I soaked it all up. From Carravagio images, to Mies van der Rohe chairs, obscure 80s album covers and the importance of typeface, Abloh became my teacher, helping me shape my own aesthetic lens.<\/p>\n

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10 years ago today. <\/p>\n

"Kanye brought his group of friends to Paris to take in fashion week for the first time and crash the party."<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcf8 @_tommyton<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/rPzzpZncOM<\/a><\/p>\n

— Complex (@Complex) January 23, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n