When I saw the notification of Virgil Abloh’s death, it shook me. To have never known the man, I was likely way too emotional. I won’t lie to you; I cried. (I really wanted to lie to you.)
Backing things up, I first heard Virgil Abloh’s name mentioned in conjunction with his work for his brand Off-WhiteTM and as creative director for Louis Vuitton’s menswear. I watched his Fall/Winter 21 show. It was a film taking place in his artistic mind’s vision of an urban environment. I began with poetry read by Saul Williams, featured dancers, and even gave an appearance by yasiin bey (Mos Def). I appreciated Abloh’s nod to Black culture, fusing its beauty and struggles with the codes of a historic European fashion house. I was admittedly late to the party recognizing his talent, but I enjoyed it even still. It led me to reengage with fashion, thinking more deeply about the power it holds, beyond the beauty of the clothes.
Virgil Abloh’s death hit me hard. His death left a hole in many a heart because of how he worked and what he built. I didn’t mourn the loss of a fashion icon but that of a storyteller, of a needed voice. I grieved my current state, contemplating my own morality. I looked at my own life, seeing my end before me and mourned the loss of my potential. I mourned all the minutes I wasted putting things off to tomorrow. Too many opportunities I exchanged for the chance to huddle in fear.
Good fashion, like any good work of art, calls us out of ourselves towards something greater. Fashion is more than clothes. It tells a story. And as we engage with it, we start to rewrite our own. This blog, this site, is my chance to begin that process anew.
If you would like to see the Fall/Winter 21 showing and watch the film entitled, “Perfect Contrast, Perfect Light”, check it out on YouTube.
A Wren Says 