Kid Cudi and NIGO® agree: Virgil Abloh's rise within the fashion world is a win not only for the Illinois-bred designer, but the entire culture.
In Complex's new cover story, they talked about Abloh's appointment as the artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear—marking the first time a black designer held such a position at the storied French fashion house.
"Well, the thing is, I wasn't really paying attention to couture brands or high fashion at all. But to take one recent example, Virgil becoming [men's] artistic director of Louis Vuitton felt like a victory, so to speak, for our team, the streetwear crowd," said NIGO®, founder of streetwear brand BAPE as well as Human Made. "I'd consider that a success, like we finally earned it. I'm not responsible for creating streetwear alone. It's something we all played a part in, in building up the culture. It's finally bearing fruit."
Cudi echoed NIGO®'s sentiment, as he reflected on Abloh's Louis Vuitton debut in 2018. The artist was among several celebrities—including Playboi Carti, Dev Hynes, and Steve Lacy—who walked in the Spring/Summer 2019 men's show.
"I was very nervous, but it was unreal. I never thought I would be walking in a show that big," Cudi recalled. "But to see Virgil execute at that level and do it the way he did it is just unbelievable. It is a victory for Black excellence, for streetwear, for all designers out here that just have a dream to design."
Cudi went on to speak about the significance of Abloh's ascension in the fashion world, as he went from Kanye West's creative director, to the founder of several streetwear brands, to becoming a head figure at one of the world's most iconic labels. Cudi had known Abloh many years before he became an artistic director at LV.
"Virgil's whole plight is that of someone who made something from nothing and made their own thing. And to me, that's the most inspiring type of story there is—somebody that came up doing their own thing, being innovative and changing the game," said Cudi, who enlisted Alboh to design the cover art for his 2012 album, WZRD. "No matter if he was working with Kanye or he was doing his own thing, he's always been ahead of the curve."
Read Complex's cover story with Kid Cudi and NIGO® here.
