“There is no limit, life is so short that you can’t waste even a day subscribing to what someone thinks you can do versus knowing what you can do.”
Were the final words from Virgil Abloh to the audience in attendance at Louis Vuitton’s Menswear Spring Summer 2022 show in Miami. The show came just two days after the designer tragically passed away following a private battle with a rare and aggressive form of cancer. He was 41.
His last collection was titled “Virgil Was Here”.
Although Abloh was absent from the show, his spirit was present throughout. The show was reminiscent of his previous sets, with a tree-lined runway, taking inspiration from Champs-Élysées.
“I’ve been on this focus in terms of my art and creativity of getting adults to behave like children again. That they go back into this sense of wonderment. They start to stop using their mind and they start using their imagination.”
Louis Vuitton’s CEO, Michael Burke spoke to the audience before the commencement of the show “The deeply moving show we are about to see is born out of an idea Virgil and I first discussed three years ago. It is based around the traditional coming-of-age narrative, but of course, being Virgil, he spun and recontextualized the concept for the 21st century and in doing so expressed his own unique talents and vision. This idea of coming of age was important to Virgil because inspiring and empowering younger generations defined who he was. He used the platform he had to break boundaries, to open doors, to shed light on his creative passions—art, design, music, and of course, fashion—so that everybody could see inside—not only to dream of being part of that world but to also find ways to make that dream a reality.”
The collection featured a diverse representation of Abloh’s legacy with models walking in colourful infusions of streetwear and his own take on French couture.
New-wave electronic beats and classic ‘Virgil’ tracks accompanied the show, as models including Kid Cudi sombrely walked down the runway.
Abloh’s collection stayed true to the Louis Vuitton tradition, showcasing the signature damier pattern towards the end of the show with reimagined berets.
As the catwalk portion of the show concluded, a grand display of fireworks in red and gold flanked a hot air balloon adorned with the Louis Vuitton logo.
There was no rush to leave, which is common at fashion shows. The crowd fell into a solemn natural moment of silence, reflecting on Abloh’s legacy, and how he could not be here to watch the show unfold with us.
