YOUTH MODE Reflects on Designer Virgil Abloh's Impact
I never had the pleasure of meeting Virgil Abloh in person, but with it recently being PFW I was reminded of this unreleased edit of the Louis Vuitton ‘Heaven on Earth’ campaign we worked on together, alongside Tim Walker.
The moment Virgil Abloh (and Benji B as music director) took over at Louis Vuitton, runway music levelled up. For this show they brought onboard the original pioneer of Detroit techno (Juan Atkins) - that said it all, and that was our brief for this film.
From the first show in 2019 with BadBadNotGood to the last show a few weeks ago with Tyler, The Creator producing an original score, a new bar has been set, and I believe that applies to more or less everything he was involved with.
In terms of his legacy, just one example is a recent auction of 200 pairs of the Louis Vuitton and Nike Air Force 1 sneakers created by Virgil Abloh before his death. Sotheby's have said they fetched a total of $25m. Proceeds from the sale will benefit a scholarship fund set up by Virgil Abloh that supports aspiring designers of Black, African-American, or African descent.
