The Virgil Abloh's strategy of the success

What is the secret behind Virgil Abloh's success? Born in 1980, this young boy of Ghanaian origin, raised in Chicago between the chaos of the city and the abandoned skate parks of the suburbs, a teenager "in the middle" succeeded to become one of the most appreciated designers of our day.

But going step by step, between the degree in architecture and the electin as new creative director of Louis Vuitton what happened? What were the key steps that led him to here?

#1 Kanye West

The famous American rapper/designer is obviously the first possible key of the success of Virgil. An unexpected call and suddenly the art work for Watch The Throne, the birth of Pyrex Vision, the interned by Fendi and then ... Off-White. Everything happened so quickly that the "how" remains a mystery today. Why that call? On the other side of the cornet there was the visionary KW who will have surely guessed the potential of the young architect, his future creative adviser, friend and companion on the sidelines.

#2 Customization

Why wear a simple polo shirt when you can wear your polo shirt?

Perhaps this was the question that prompted Virgil to resume the long tradition born with Dapper Dan in Harlem in the 80s, and to transform it into a today business. Pyrex was born in this way, from a print applied to a vintage Ralph Lauren shirt, and now this "art" re-presents itself as a real fashion phenomenon. But now we must ask ourselves: Mr. Abloh was smart or was it simply "the idea of ​​someone else dusted off and updated"?.

#3 Not just a designer...

Provocative in every form of expression, from design, to DJing, to art.

The cultures of the past inspire its present, the rebellious ideals of the 60s Situationism, the post-punk reality of the '70s, the vibrant 90s skate scene, can be mixed by Virgil to the unpredictability of Caravaggio and Fontana's spatialism . Do you say that it is enough?

#4 "Street-Luxury"

Combining two different worlds may seem like a gamble, but if  Virgil Abloh does it, it could be the key to success. Revisiting the great classics with respect, making them current and functional to life in urban contexts, investing on top quality materials and Made in Italy, thinking of making a classic Jimmy Choo heel something more "artistically current". Perhaps thanks to this designer streetwear is the new luxury?

#5 Millennials

The main purpose of the Ghanaian designer has always been to communicate with the new generations and make them interested in fashion, but without effort, indeed, going to meet them and making sure that the two worlds meet halfway. Making simple white tees and decorating them with the logo of the brand is the best technique to draw the attention of an ever wider and more varied audience.

"I find happiness 'in the middle' of everything. Between tailoring and streetstyle. Between formal and informal. Between old and new generations".

#6 Successful collaboration

Let's make things simpler: here is a small recap that speaks for itself.

-Off-White x Nike

-Off-White x Jimmy Choo

-Off-White x Ikea

-Off-White x Takashi Murakami

-Off-White x A-COLD-WALL *

-Off-White x Timberland

-Off-White x KM20

-KITH x Off-White

We begin to think that the key to Virgil Abloh's success is not simply one of the factors analyzed, but his ability to mix all these ideas, with cunning, ingenuity and (we can at this point admit it) talent.