Off-White's Virgil Abloh guest of honor at Pitti Uomo

By

Dominique Muret

Published
Mar 17, 2017

Pitti Uomo is promising an edition that strongly focuses on casual attire and young talent. After announcing that innovative Irish designer Jonathan Anderson will be presenting his collection on June 14, the leading fair for menswear has invited Off-White founder Virgil Abloh as another special guest.

 
Son of Ghanaian immigrants and an architect and engineer by training, the American designer and dj Virgil Abloh has enjoyed resounding success since the creation of his couture streetwear brand Off-White in 2013. During the the next edition of Pitti Uomo, he will present a special event Thursday, June 15 to unveil his spring-summer 2018 men's collection and part of his women's pre-collection.

Born in Rockford, Illinois in 1980, Virgil Abloh first achieved fame as the artistic director for rapper Kanye West. Over the years, he has collaborated with many artists and designers such as Nick Knight, Riccardo Tisci, Kim Jones, Takashi Murakami, Olivier Rousteing, Giuseppe Zanotti, George Condo and Silvia Venturini at Fendi. His most recent collaborations include Levi's, Vans, Moncler and Chrome Hearts.

A finalist for the LVMH prize in 2015, this jack of all trades points to Bauhaus architect Mies van der Rohe as an important influence. Abloh has been showing his collections in Paris since March 2016. His style mines the codes of counter-culture and has attracted many buyers, such as Colette, Barneys New York and Selfridges in London. His Off-White brand is also distributed through seven own-brand stores in Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Beijing, London, Shanghai and Seoul.

“In a season that’s mixing the traditional hierarchies among fashion, streetwear and role distinctions, Virgil Abloh has transformed his own lifestyle into a successful brand,”  said Lapo Cianchi, Pitti Immagine's director of communications and events, in a statement.