Following the death of beloved designer and creative director Virgil Abloh, some of his most notable friends have shared texts and DMs he sent them.
In the New York Times, many of Abloh’s closest friends, collaborators, and mentees remembered him by revealing some of the many nuggets of wisdom he dropped in his texts and Instagram DMs. Samuel Ross, a British designer who worked under/with Abloh, said these messages “reflect the character and responsibility Virgil took on to lead a global community.” He added that Abloh’s “top-line perspective” was his focus, but “he was able to still make time for the important micros of life.”
“Our black lands, Africa/Caribbean, are waiting for us,” reads a message he sent to Ross. “Let’s find a funding model to have us build prototype homes/hospitals/centers.”
In a message to photographer Tyler Mitchell, Virgil gave congratulations for a Vogue cover and said “2021 is a picture for us all to urgently paint.”
Abloh told Kendall Jenner he loved her “TO THE MAXXXXX,” adding, “KEEP NATURALLY SLAYING IT GRACEFULLY.” In a longer message to model Bella Hadid, Virgil wrote, “YOUR AN ANGEL. Not even of this earth. You walk thru a door and we all smile. All energy from your heart. In this shitty world it means the most to cruise thru it with the real ones. You shine light and actually make the world a better place. I’ll know you in 30 years from now and we’ll laugh at the last 5.”
Actor Timothée Chalamet, who has shared his own tribute to Abloh on Instagram, received a text that read, “A bottle of tequila and the Cudi album on 12.”
Kid Cudi recently shared his final messages with Abloh on Twitter, in which the two discussed his then-upcoming Louis Vuitton menswear show in Miami.
Juelz Santana, who worked with Abloh as recently as this year, got a text saying, “The world is ours, our vision is timeless.” Music video director Cole Bennett of Lyrical Lemonade fame garnered big praise from Virgil in the text he shared. “Your eye is vital, only comes around once in a generation,” said Abloh.
“Our generation is the best generation,” wrote Virgil in a message to designer and barber Ibn Jasper. “I believe that.”
Virgil Abloh died age 41 following a private battle against an aggressive form of cancer.
