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After a secret struggle with cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare form of cancer, Virgil Abloh died on November 28, 2021. He was 41 years old at the time. The founder of Off-White and Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Artistic Director was last seen in Doha, Qatar, during the opening of his exhibition.
Virgil Abloh Early Life
Abloh was born in a suburb of Chicago on September 30, 1980. His Ghanaian immigrant parents raised him and his sister in nearby Rockford.
His mother is a seamstress, and she was the one who taught him how to sew. Virgil Abloh had his early education at Boylan Catholic High School.
Education
In 2002, Virgil completed the University of Wisconsin–Madison for his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
According to rumors, he skipped his final evaluation on the day of his graduation to meet with Kanye West’s then-manager John Monopoly. Soon after, West and Abloh start working together officially.
In 2006, Abloh completed his master’s degree in architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
Career
In 2009, Abloh became an intern for Fendi in Rome. Fast forward to 2010, Kanye West’s creative agency, Donda, appointed Abloh as its new creative director.
In 2012, Virgil Abloh unveiled his first brand, Pyrex Vision. He paid $40 for deadstock Ralph Lauren flannel shirts and screen printed the words Pyrex and the number 23, a nod to his childhood hero, Michael Jordan. They are priced at $550 each.
In 2013, Virgil Abandone Pyrex to begin a new empire named Offwhite.
He merges streetwear, luxury, art, music, and travel at Off-White, describing the brand as “the gray space between black and white as the color Off-White.” Hovering quote marks became Abloh’s signature from the start.
In 2016, Virgil Abloh creates his first concept store in Tokyo. Visitors came to take free Off-White branded cups from the store’s watercooler and resold them on the secondary market.
Fast Forward to 2018, Victor Abloh was named as the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear designs, succeeding Kim Jones, his friend, and mentor. He’s the first black man to hold such a position.
Wife and Kids
Virgil Abloh married Shannon Abloh in 2009 and before his demise, they had given birth to two children named Lowe Abloh and Grey Abloh.
Networth, Houses and Cars
Virgil Abloh has a net worth of $100 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He owned a fleet of luxury cars and also had a big mansion in New York.