How much was Virgil Abloh worth?
| Net Worth: | $50 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Designer |
| Date of Birth: | September 30, 1980 (aged 41) |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
About Virgil Abloh
Virgil Abloh is an American designer, disc jockey, and entrepreneur. He was best known for being the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s men’s wear collection (March 2018). Apart from that position, he was also the chief executive officer of the label Off-White (based in Milan, Italy) that he founded in 2013. He became famous after he entered the world of international fashion in 2009 with an internship at Fendi alongside the rapper Kanye West.
He was born on September 30, 1980, in Rockford, Illinois. He was the first of two children to Nee and Eunice Abloh. His sister Edwina, who alongside his parents, occasionally were seen during his fashion shows. His father was a manager in a paint company while his mother worked as a seamstress. Both Virgil and his sister were born and raised in Rockford.
He attended the Boylan Catholic High School and graduated from it in 1998. He then enrolled at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, from which he received a Bachelor of Science in civil engineer in 2002. He later received his Master of Architecture at the IIT (Illinois Institute of Technology) in 2006. While attending the IIT, his interests in fashion were sparked after he witnessed the near building on campus designed by the architect Rem Koolhaas. Concurrently with studying architecture and engineering, he began designing t-shirts and other clothes.
What made the fashion designer so rich was his association with the giant Louis Vuitton. His fashion career began in the late 2000s with the design of his own t-shirts, jeans, and sweaters. At that time, he ran his online blog titled The Brilliance, which focused entirely on fashion. After his graduation from university in 2009, he interned at Fendi in the same class as the rapper Kanye West. The two were hired and placed in the company’s office in Rome, Italy, where they began a collaborative relationship.
It was during his collaboration with West that he impressed and caught the eye of Michael Burke, the CEO of Louis Vuitton. In 2011, he and Kanye’s artistic partner Don C launched their own retail store called RSVP Gallery in Chicago, Illinois. One year later, he launched his very first company – Pyrex Vision – and purchased a deadstock clothing from Ralph Lauren at the cost of $40, which he redesigned and later sold for more than $500 apiece. In 2013, he founded his first fashion house named Off-White.
Besides being part of Louis Vuitton, another reason why Abloh was so successful was his booming label Off-White. The high-end streetwear brand, described as “the gray area between black and white” became a phenomenon that captured the eyes of investors and fashion critics in a few months time. Soon, Virgil landed deals with brands and designers such as Plan Angels, Marcelo Burlon, and Heron Preston and his brand received a lot of attention. As of now, Off-White has been consistently shown at the “Big-four” fashion weeks and has more than 49 locations in the world.
Beginning in March 2018, after he attained mainstream recognition with his fantastic designer skills and successful label, Abloh joined the luxurious brand Louis Vuitton as the artistic director of the menswear line. Since then, he had created collections that are worn mostly by public figures and celebrities on many events and venues such as the fashion week shows and the US Open. In addition to incorporating the LV logo and doing a lot for the company, Virgil Abloh had consistently worked on other art and music projects. He had his very first solo museum exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in 2019.
Summing-Up
Virgil Abloh was one of the most popular and richest fashion designers in the world. Concomitantly with running his profitable label Off-White, he was also the artistic director of Louis Vuitton and their men’s wear collection. At the time of his death, his net worth was estimated to have surpassed $50 million. He was listed as one of the “100 Most Influential People” by Time magazine.
