Over the holidays my mom asked me one day if I wanted to go to a museum exhibit featuring “the guy who designed Serena William’s iconic US Open dress”. I responded with, “Do you mean Virgil Abloh, the founder of Off-White and current Louis Vuitton menswear director?”
I thought this showed how Virgil Abloh has really found an audience everywhere. Whether it’s the streetwear mavens, high fashion lovers, tennis fans, or artsy/cultural folks, Virgil has inspired and touched so many people.
So we headed to the High Museum in Atlanta to see his Figures of Speech exhibit. It was also my first time back at the museum since high school!
You enter the exhibit and it starts with his fashion, most notably his first fashion line, Pyrex Vision, and his Off-White designs. If you end up checking out the exhibit I recommend reading the all of the placards. I learned so much about how Virgil uses his fashion to make political and social commentary.
It wouldn’t be a Virgil Abloh exhibit without a Nike x Off-White showcase. I feel like every Streetwear aficionado wants at least a pair of these.
You get to see his architecture background come to life in not just the fashion but the furniture and sculptures. Fun fact: Virgil was the one who designed the cover of Kanye West’s iconic album, Yeezus.
This was one of my favorite pieces. We rarely see black people, especially black babies in high fashion clothing and/or advertisements. This honestly took my breath away.
Are you?
Putting myself in the art. I can’t help but think that Virgil knew that this would be a prime self portrait moment.
I ended up getting one of his coffee table books and a Pyrex Vision shirt, of which I grabbed the wrong size and I’ll probably have to cut it into a cropped top. How “streetwear” of me.
It was a great way to spend the afternoon and also super inspiring to see Virgil’s journey through architecture, art, fashion, and culture. I can’t wait to see what’s next for him!