In what Virgil Abloh described as "Black imagination manifesting itself in real life," he and Louis Vuitton brought the vision to reality with their Spring/Summer 2021 showcase in Shanghai, China on Thursday. Despite the pandemic, the event was able to go on with limitations put in place for how many in-person viewers could attend, as well as making sure to keep all attendees local.
The incomparable Lauryn Hill headlined, performing tracks from her classic project The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill plus others with a live band throughout the second half. Despite the gloom from the mugginess in Shanghai on Thursday, the varied shades and hues of color still popped on each of the models as they walked the runway in Virgil's '90s inspired color-blocked looks. Accompanying them was also a posse of inflatable characters—dubbed by Virgil as his "Zoooom With Friends" characters—that made their appearance during the second leg of the show.
At the end, Lauryn Hill announced that on behalf of her performance, Virgil and Louis Vuitton would be making a donation to the MLH Foundation "with all proceeds going to Black businesses affected by COVID-19 and other hardships."
Virgil mirrored Ms. Hill's sentiments, saying this wasn't "just a mere musical performance or another fashion show—what you've seen is Black imagination manifesting itself in real life." He then emphasized that the ability for Black people to stretch their creatives muscles needs to be extended to more people, and that this was only the beginning of that. You can watch the full event up top, and see some of the different looks showcased from Louis Vuitton's Spring/Summer 2021 collection below.
