It’s official. Virgil Abloh has been named artistic director for Louis Vuitton’s menswear, following the departure of Kim Jones in early March. Needless to say, this news has the fashion world buzzing.
He may be sitting at the design helm of the world's biggest luxury fashion house now, but the industry-acclaimed Abloh (crowds were stampeding to get into his most recent show at Paris fashion week) has spent over a decade earning his stripes in the fashion industry—and it’s a tale worth telling.
Take a look 10 highlights in the rise (and rise) of Virgil Abloh.
Abloh received his Masters of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He completed an undergraduate in Civil Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
Missing his graduation ceremony, a meeting with Kanye’s then-manager John Monopoly saw Abloh put on the rapper’s payroll, offering his opinion and design skills on merch. Pretty soon, Abloh is given full-fledged artistic direction, encompassing global tours, performances and artwork.
Read also: That time when Kanye first launched the Yeezy