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Since launching in 2014 Off-White’s creative director – the now (in)famous Virgil Abloh – has unleashed a polarising “visual language” that has captured the mindset of millennial consumers and left an inner sanctum of style elites reeling at the rise of fashion’s latest ‘under-qualified’ (their words, not ours) messiah. But what their analogue outlook on an outdated system fails to realise is that Abloh is a symbol of the times we live in. A testimony now canonised by the recent announcement that Abloh will be taking over as menswear artistic director at storied luxury Maison, Louis Vuitton.
Committed to delivering collections which manifest as timely commentaries on contemporary culture, Abloh’s reflective aesthetic (which holds up a mirror to the world and dares them to look) was applied ever-more deftly for the label’s SS18 menswear presentation. Joining forces with American artist, Jenny Holzer, Off-White’s SS18 reflected upon the ongoing international refugee crisis. Drawing inspiration from the unofficial symbol of this humanitarian disaster, a life-jacket, Abloh drew global focus to the issue with a runway show that was as politically loaded as it was visually impressive.
As the simmering pot of international tension reaches dangerous temperatures, Abloh reflected on the disasters of war with poetry from Polish poet Anna Swierczynski written during the Warsaw uprising of 1944. This subversive and anti-establishment commentary on pertinent geo-political issues sat in stark contrast with the frivolity and excess of fashion week: another shining example of Virgil’s ongoing dialogue with a generation of ‘woke’ consumers.
Concept-driven design which seamlessly trickles down to inform highly coppable streetwear product, Off-White’s SS18 collection is now available at END.
