THE world has been rocked by the sudden passing of Off-White creator Virgil Abloh on November 28, 2021.
The pioneering designer had secretly been battling a rare, aggressive form of cancer, cardiac angiosarcoma, since 2019.
When did Virgil Abloh create Off-White?
Virgil launched his own clothing line, Off-White, in 2013.
The luxury Italian fashion label was first founded in Milan as "PYREX VISION" by Virgil before he rebranded.
He said its name refers to "the grey area between black and white as the color off-white."
The brand released distinctive yet cohesive pieces and the garments were seen on international runways before becoming a celebrity favorite brand.
The streetwear icon managed to create an extraordinary mix of avant-garde and urban fashion which led to his appointment as the artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear ready-to-wear line in 2018.
Why did Virgil Abloh create Off-White?
The 41-year-old originally built a streetwear brand in 2012 by the name of "PYREX VISION".
But Virgil's frugal approach to fashion on this collection sparked quite the controversy.
He snapped up deadstock Ralph Lauren flannel shirts for $40 each and simply screen printed the word 'Pyrex' and the number 23 on them, before selling them on for $550 each.
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The Chicago-born designer scrapped the company amid the markup scandal and returned with Off-White just months later.
He left the headquarters for his clothing line in Milan as he wanted his garments to be made in Italy but with an American aesthetic.
Off-White is now known for its signature diagonal stripes and "ironic" quotation marks printed on its clothing.
Who co-founded Off-White?
After receiving his Masters of Architecture from Illinois Institute of Technology in 2006 and then interning at Fendi with Kanye West, Virgil stepped out into the fashion game himself.
He founded the company himself in 2013, launched a menswear line before following up with womenswear the next year.
Virgil showed off both collections at Paris Fashion Week before the range was rolled out into stores internationally.
After years of acclaimed success, the owner of luxury fashion retailer Farfetch, José Neves, purchased a slice of the Off-White pie.
He bought the parent organization of the brand, New Guards Group, for $675million in August 2019.
In July 2021, luxury holding company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton revealed it would be taking a 60% stake in Off-White.
Virgil retained the other 40% but was no longer the majority shareholder.
How much is Off-White worth?
The exact worth of Off-White is not currently known, but it is expected to be worth tens of millions of dollars.
At the time of his death, Virgil was estimated to have a net worth of $20million.
He was known as a pioneer in fashion was still creating clothes to revolutionize the industry when he passed away.
