OFF WHITE

Judging by the crowd present at his show, Virgil Abloh is one of the most iconic designers of his generation. The American designer's fall-winter 2018 show caused an unprecedented frenzy on the rue Cambon. A similar craze occurs every time the label releases new products, which are usually sold out within a few days.

If the spring was dedicated to Lady Diana, this fall, Off-White is focused on New Yorkers. The collection, called "West Village", honors those women who work-out at Soulcycle all week before going horseback riding on weekends. A duality that is expressed in cut-out printed denim, usually worn with an immaculate masculine shirt. In the evening, this athletic New Yorker wears black leather from head to toe or wraps up in evanescent tulle. An elegant duality.

The Off-White adventure began in 2013. The guiding principle of Virgil Abloh’s brand, following on from Pyrex, was to reboot certain pieces by adding a unique touch. Play with the codes and rethinking the tradition of tailoring as we know it, deconstructing to better reconstruct pieces that were previously thought to be untouchable. The brand took off quickly and opened a design studio in Italy. In 2015, it was a finalist in the prestigious LVMH Prize for young fashion designers.

Virgil Abloh was born in Chicago in 1980 and started out as a DJ and stylist. He studied engineering and has a degree in architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology but made his first foray into fashion in 2009 with the RSVP Gallery concept-store, before taking over as artistic director of the Kanye West’s Donda brand. In 2012, he launched the ground-breaking streetwear brand Pyrex, before founding Off-White in 2013. The brand was an immediate hit, and five years later in March 2018, Virgil Abloh was hired as artistic director for menswear at Louis Vuitton.