(Lagos) Fashion designers across the African continent on Monday paid tribute to Ghanaian-American star designer Virgil Abloh for “paving the way” and allowing them to believe in their dream.
Stylist and artistic director of the Louis Vuitton men’s collections, Virgil Abloh, died Sunday of cancer at the age of 41. This son of Ghanaian immigrants was the first major black designer to be recognized on the fashion scene, a world often criticized for its lack of diversity.
“Thank you Virgil for your bravery and talent, which made a difference and allowed so many people to be seen and heard. You helped pave the way. We will never forget you, ”wrote on Instagram the South African fashion designer Thebe Magugu, the first African winner of the LVMH prize in 2019.
“It’s a huge loss for world fashion, all the more shocking as it was unexpected”, reacted to AFP the Cameroonian designer Imane Ayissi, who in 2020 joined the very closed circle of the big fashion houses. during the haute couture week in Paris.
“He remains a model for a whole part of the population by proving that it is possible to creatively manage with immense success one of the very first luxury houses, whatever their origin and their skin color.”
Born in the United States, Virgil Abloh has never forgotten his Ghanaian origins: in January 2021, the designer put on the catwalks of Louis Vuitton, the Kente, a traditional fabric from Ghana, worn during major ceremonies.
Streetwear in Africa
“Because a large number of Africans in the diaspora are deprived of their culture while growing up, fashion is one of the mediums that Virgil Abloh has used to pay tribute” in Ghana, Nigerian designer Bubu told AFP. Ogisi who runs the Iamisigo brand, whose creations showcase fabrics and techniques from the continent.
According to this designer, Virgil Abloh has also had a strong influence in the development of several streetwear brands in Africa.
“Many friends who have brands in Nigeria and Ghana were inspired by the model of Off-White”, the brand of streetwear luxury collection created by Virgil Abloh, she says.
“Gone too early, thank you for your support for African skateboarders,” the trendy Nigerian skate clothing brand Wafflesncream posted on Instagram on Monday.
A lover of hip-hop and urban cultures, Virgil Abloh had notably helped finance a skateboard park in Accra, the capital of his country of origin.
In the West African country, he had also worked with UNICEF to promote education and entrepreneurship.
Throughout his career, the designer has strived for more inclusiveness in the fashion industry. In 2017, he confided during a conference at the American Harvard University: “I find it difficult to consider myself as a designer because designers do not look like me, it’s a real obstacle”.
His career has given hope to many black creatives, in the West and on the African continent.
“In the world, only a small number of black people have come this high, and promoted the idea that anyone could become whatever they wanted, Virgil Abloh was one of them,” he told the ‘AFP Adedayo Laketu, a young Nigerian designer who founded the couture brand Pith Africa.
“I want to do a billion times more, and work even harder, because he showed me and said it was possible.”