Over at GQ, Will Welch sat down with supreme vibes ruler, Virgil Abloh of Off-White to talk about the brand's F/W 15 collection which he's showing in Paris tomorrow. As a part of this new guard of fashion designers that do more than just design clothing, but put together an aesthetic and lifestyle based on their taste, Virgil has become a figurehead for tons of fashion fans. In the interview, he talks about what we can expect from Off-White, how he plans on making his presentation different than the rest and the Cool Teens™. A few of the highlights from the interview:
The general look of Off-White F/W 15:
So with this next season, I'm trying to explore the romanticism of a baggier pant. I just think there's a certain coolness to it. Then the other element is outerwear and layering options for fall—fleece and parkas. This collection is based on vintage mountaineering layering lifestyle outerwear. ... I think there's an oversize wave. Fitted is not heavily my thing. My main offering this season are these Wall Street coats, I call them—like a coat your dad would have. But to give it a new twist, I cut the back out.
Where the inspiration came from:
I get intrigued by places and people. Local lifestyles. The first season, I was super into Martha Stewart, Nantucket, Montauk vibes. This season I started out with Jackson Hole. I snowboarded when I was young, and I used to go to Jackson Hole every winter, and I was remembering that mountain lifestyle ... so I wanted to juxtapose mountaineering with an urban setting, and that became Wall Street. Two different lifestyles, but this whole idea of getting to the top was the premise. I came up with a fake school called Meadow Heights—just another excuse to use a font—and then I named the collection "Don't Look Down," which is just a clever title for all these different references. I was studying vintage mountaineering, the first ascent of Mount Everest, looking at the outerwear from back then, looking at the form, the function, and the layering.
How his presentation will be different:
It's funny, I always said I wasn't going to do a presentation until I had an idea—but my idea is sort of like no idea. That's the new idea [laughs]. I just rented a gallery, I'm gonna get a bunch of mannequins, I'm gonna art direct the shit out of the place, play Wu Tang, and not invite any press. ... I'm gonna bring clothes, too, from my last season and give them a way.
Wait, so who is going to be invited?
Only the kids. My brand is based off of the kids, and the relationship to the "street." So what better way to present it than to just open the door, no security, no door people. Maybe have no clothes there. Or—this is just free vibes—maybe have the clothes and wrap them in garbage bags. Because it's not really about, "Hey, come here, look at my shit, and buy it." It's more like, just come hang out and vibe.
Endorsing the Cool Teens™ and his young fanbase finally turning their backs on him:
There's just kids in New York that are the new wave and they're setting the new standard. Innovators like Ian Connor and Luka [Sabbat]. I trust them more than I trust the establishment. That's the whole premise of Pyrex—that the youth will always win. ... the kids revolt, too. So pretty soon they'll all hate me, but it doesn't matter. I see the bigger picture. It's just about inspiring them.
