Virgil Abloh’s legacy continues.
On the eve of what would’ve been his 42nd birthday, the late creative was celebrated during Off-White’s spring/summer 2023 runway show. The event went down during Paris Fashion Week, drawing a wide range of industry heavy-hitters both in fashion and entertainment. Celebrities like Naomi Campbell, Erykah Badu, Anna Wintour, Winnie Harlow, and Halle Bailey attended the show, which came nearly a year after Abloh’s death.
Though the label may have lost its founder, the Off-White team has set out to persevere his vision under its new image and art director, Ibrahim Kamara. According to Vogue, elements of the spring/summer 2023 range were conceived by Alboh shortly before his death. Kamara and Co. then took the main concept—an “exploration of the human body”—and developed a sprawling collection that fused luxury and streetwear with avant-garde elements.
The range was anchored by a rich shade of blue, and included tailored suits with X-ray prints, knitwear with braided details, utility puffer jackets, denim overcoats, as well as high-top sneakers, mules, and sandals.
“The beauty of Off-White is that you are involved in every single detail of the brand,” Kamara told the magazine. “And although my role is image-based, I was able to investigate with the team as they built this collection … The show is a celebration, and it’s also about hope. Hope is opening doors, and that is something Virgil did beautifully until the very end.”
According to collection notes, Off-White worked with Jenny Holzer to redesign their staff shirts.
This collection is a celebration of that alongside our freedom to dream, create, and choose...Coincidentally, this mood has fallen upon us as antiabortion laws are being reinstated in real-time across America. In recognition of this, we’ve worked alongside Jenny Holzer, once again, on our staff shirts, a subtle redesign of her famous ’86 artwork ‘Abuse of Power Comes as No Surprise’ to a collaborative reframing ‘Abuse of Flower Comes as No Surprise’ in 2017. First coming together in 2016, amidst the wake of the migrant and refugee crisis, and as Black Lives Matter went global, Virgil utilised Jenny’s Truisms to address the negligence of governments and the dismissal of human rights. Today, we seek her voice as the overturning of Roe V. Wade signals yet another setback, with all proceeds of the t-shirt sale donated to Planned Parenthood. Even when dreaming up new worlds, we must speak about the harsh realities of our present everyday lives.
You can see some of the spring/summer 2023 runway images below.
