NEW YORK — Paris-based fashion house Louis Vuitton has named Kanye West collaborator Virgil Abloh as its new menswear designer.
The 37-year-old is founder of the Off-White label and will become, alongside Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing, one of only two people of color in charge of a major fashion house. Abloh, the first African-American to lead the fashion house, replaces Kim Jones, who left in January to become menswear designer for Christian Dior.
In a statement, Abloh said, “I find the heritage and creative integrity of the House are key inspirations and will look to reference them both while drawing parallels to modern times.”
Louis Vuitton CEO Michael Burke Monday praised Abloh’s “innate creativity and disruptive approach (that) have made him so relevant, not just in the world of fashion but in popular culture today.”
The company says Abloh’s first show will take place during men’s fashion week in Paris in June.
Abloh graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in civil engineering in 2003.
