The next artistic director of Louis Vuitton might not be a fashion designer

A few hours after Louis Vuitton's double show at Paris Fashion Week, the fashion world continues to ask itself the question that has been with it since last November, since Virgil Abloh's untimely death that left the brand orphaned of its artistic director. Who will be his heir? The question that for a long time no one has dared to do in a dutiful sign of respect for the memory of the designer but now, at the dawn of the second posthumous collection, begins to acquire more and more resonance. Maybe that's why in the last few hours on the internet the toto-name game seems to have exploded, with a handful of candidates given, for no apparent reason, as favorites over the others. Will it be Jonathan Anderson? Or perhaps Samuel Ross? But let's not forget Chitose Abe and Grace Wales Bonner we read a bit 'everywhere, a round of papabili put, however, partially silenced by Michael Burke, CEO of Louis Vuitton recently intervened on the subject.

In a lengthy interview published in WWD, Burke addressed the post-Abloh issue by stating that the brand is in no rush to crown a new artistic director. "It's not a house that relies on any one individual," he stated, "Louis Vuitton is too big for any one individual." But beyond the scope of the brand, the most significant aspect of Burke's interview is the profile of LV's next creative director, not necessarily a fashion designer as stated by the CEO in view of the diversification implemented by the brand, active as much in gaming as in entertainment. "It wouldn't be the most obvious thing, but it's not impossible," Burke added, leaving the doors open for what could be a natural evolution of Abloh's legacy. Despite his background and experience once he arrived at Vuitton's court, at the time the Off-White™ founder represented an important break with the past in a fashion that was beginning to look at the streetwear world with suspicion and interest.

If we were to go back, we would probably find dozens, if not hundreds, of comments outraged by the appointment of what, at the time, seemed to be for some only a designer capable of creating hoodies and sweatpants. Years later, however, the appointment of Virgil Abloh seems the most natural choice, certainly a milestone in the fashion industry and an example for what will come next. For this reason, as much as Michael Burke's statements may sound absurd and in some ways even just provocative, they could represent a serious clue to identify the next artistic director of the brand that more than anyone else has been able to change our idea of "choice". For this reason, while the hunt for the name rages outside, in our hearts we hope that Burke and LVMH can take all the time necessary not to thwart the legacy of Virgil Abloh.