MANILA, Philippines - Interestingly enough, Virgil Abloh himself arrived here way before his clothes did. If you know him by way of Kanye West, then you know he tagged along during last April’s Paradise Music Festival. And you may also know that he’s also the creative director of DONDA, a creative content company founded by the artist/rapper/designer (no one man should have all that power). He is most probably involved in Yeezy too. But Virgil Abloh is much more than the shadow cast by Kanye’s gargantuan vision. The LVMH Prize finalist comes into his own with Off-White, which began as an art project called Pyrex Vision. It’s American streetwear in the vein of Supreme but with decidedly European expressions (think Givenchy, and to an extent, Vetements). For fall-winter 2016’s menswear collection called “You Cut Me Off,” he was largely inspired by artist Lucio Fontana, the founder of Spatialism. Specifically, Abloh lifted his slashing technique and applied it to his canvas coats. As for the T-shirts (an Off-White staple), the text was literally cut off — placing some of the missing letters on the inside of the pockets. Read into that whatever you please.
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Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh will be available in Univers by the first week of August.
Fashion by by OFF-WHITE c/o VIRGIL ABLOH
Photos by RALPH MENDOZA | Styled by KAREN BOLILIA
Hair and makeup by PAM ROBES | Modeled by YAOFA DELA CRUZ