Virgil
If you are a young individual who has been following the sneaker culture for the past 4 to 5 years, I am sure you have been influenced and moved by the work of Virgil Abloh. From streetwear to luxury fashion, from sneakers to cars, this man has left his mark on the world. He was a man who truly bought the community ahead by taking on multiple projects. He was the first black designer appointed as the men’s artistic director at Louis Vuitton, he was also the creative director of Off White, Donda by Kanye West and a designer who worked with Nike, Levi’s, Champion, Jimmy Choo, Warby Parker, Timberland, Ikea and Mercedes to name a few brands.
On November 28th, 2021 it came to light that Virgil Abloh passed away. His death left us all in shock and sorrow. A question which I am sure everyone has been thinking about since then is, Who Will Replace Abloh at Louis Vuitton? The Replacement of Virgil Abloh is gonna be a huge responsibility for Louis Vuitton.
Well, I thought personally a lot about these and realized it would be easier to predict who is not going to be the Creative Director at Louis Vuitton?
Kanye West
Source: Kanye West
Kanye West, also referred to as Ye, is one of the most talked-about celebrities and influencers right now. Kanye holds some of the greatest collaborations of all time from Air Yeezys to LV Jaspers. I feel a major reason why people are considering him to be the next creative director are:
- Kanye West has been called and will be called THE LV DON. I still remember seeing the first show by Abloh where at the end he gave a long hug to Kanye West, appreciating him for always being there by him throughout his journey. For me that moment displayed that Kanye West has passed on the baton to Abloh and has moved on.
- In my opinion he already has too much on his plate. From Donda 2 to his worth with GAP and Balenciaga. I read this beautiful quote on an online forum which states “I think Ye would have been happy to accept that post 6 years ago, but now I’m not sure he’d take it if it was offered. It’s a little too expected. Kanye has made his career off the mentality of “By the time you know you want something, I’m already planning the next thing you don’t even know you want yet”.
NIGO
NIGO, famously known for his work as the founder of BAPE, has also been a major name when it comes to potential candidates. There are 2 major reasons why people are believing him to be the next creative director:
- Nigo is a legend in the world of streetwear. Nigo had created one of the best streetwear brands to ever exist and with high fashion moving towards streetwear, he could be a likely choice.
- He was recently hired by Kenzo and had his first successful runway show with the label. LVMH has been known to shift John Galliano from Givenchy to Dior extremely fast and people expect something similar with NIGO being shifted.
Although I feel, at this stage of NIGO’s career he has understood the importance of taking things slowly and hence in my opinion will take his time at KENZO and gain more experience in the world of luxury fashion before moving on to LV. I also believe they might go for someone young with a black cultural background to continue Abloh’s legacy.
TYLER, THE CREATOR
Source: Tyler, The Creator
A young black designer who is moving forward in the fashion industry in his own way is Tyler, The Creator. Known for his music, he has always been a trendsetter. From Supreme tees and caps to his 80s varsity jackets and loafers, his style has revolutionized. His brand Golf le Fleur is also redefining streetwear for a huge number of people. There were 2 reasons why I see him as the next creative director:
- He scored a show for Abloh’s collection. If you have seen the final show displaying Virgil’s collection you could see Tyler’s music being arranged by Arthur Verocai and conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, performed by the Chineke! Orchestra. Seeing him at the end on the bike and giving a hug to Yaseen bay was reminiscent of the Ye Virgil Hug.
- Virgil really helped him set up the Luxury side of Golf, and coming from a similar cultural background LV would be happy to have him.
Although the major question here is, will Tyler be wanting to take this role? If any of you follow his music, you know the beautiful revolution seen in his work. He has a lifetime’s worth of music just waiting to be released to the world and hence such a high-intensity job may be a distraction to his core which is music.
These are some of the names who may not be seen as the next creative director for LV. In the next article, we will bring you some names who might be the next creative director for LV.
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