Virgil Abloh was the artistic director of Louis Vuitton and was the founder of Off White. He was battling with a rare form of cancer, cardiac angiosarcoma for over two years.
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| Virgil Abloh was the first African American to be artistic director at a french luxury fashion house. (Photo:-twitter) |
A renowned fashion designer Virgil Abloh dies due to cancer at the age of 41. He was the artistic director of Louis Vuitton and was the founder of Off White. The whole fashion industry is in shock due to his sudden demise.
He was battling with cancer for over two years, though he not announced it publicly and was silently battling with it.
“LVMH, Louis Vuitton and Off White are devastated to announce the passing of Virgil Abloh, on Sunday, November 28th, of cancer, which he had been battling privately for several years”, Louis Vuitton tweeted.
The CEO of LVMH Bernard Arnault expressed his condolences. He wrote, “We are all shocked by this terrible news. Virgil was not only a genius designer and a visionary, he was also a man with beautiful soul and great wisdom.”
“The LVMH family joins me in this moment of great sorrow and we are all thinking of his loved ones on the passing of their husband, father, brother, son and friend.”, he further added.
LVMH, Louis Vuitton and Off White are devastated to announce the passing of Virgil Abloh, on Sunday, November 28th, of cancer, which he had been battling privately for several years. pic.twitter.com/9JkyCcBYXm
— Louis Vuitton (@LouisVuitton) November 28, 2021
Besides fashion designer, Virgil was also an architect, entrepreneur and disc jockey. He had also collaborated with the rapper Kenye West. In 2012, Virgil Abloh launched his first company Pyrex Vision. Just after one year, he founded a streetwear brand Off-White.
Virgil Abloh’s family members took to twitter and announced his sudden demise due to cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer.
“For over two years, Virgil valiantly battled a rare, aggressive form of cancer, cardiac angiosarcoma. He chose to endure his battle privately since his diagnosis in 2019, undergoing numerous challenging treatments, all while helming several significant institutions that span fashion, art and culture”, wrote by a family in caption.
Abloh’s parents immigrated to the US from Ghana. His mother was a seamstress and he learnt much from his mother about the designing. Abloh became the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection in 2018. He was the first African American to be artistic director at a french luxury fashion house.
Virgil Abloh is survived by his wife Shannon Abloh, his children Lowe Abloh and Grey Abloh, his sister Edwina Abloh and his parents Nee and Eunice Abloh.