The meteoric rise of Virgil Abloh in the fashion world one few others have achieved, and perhaps especially because it’s a career trajectory that continues to encompass the domains of streetwear and luxury. But then again, the Ghanaian-American designer is seen as a force to be reckoned with fusing the two, developing a new fashion vocabulary since founding his brand Off-White in 2013, and even more so when being appointed creative director of Louis Vuitton‘s men’s line only five years later. And now, at what we assume isn’t even the peak of his career, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is hosting Abloh’s first-ever exhibition. Entitled Figures of Speech, the elaborate showcase focuses on the creative process and collaborative work of a designer who is very redefining fashion, art, and design at the same time as his focus isn’t just limited to the discipline he’s best known for. Abloh boldly explores other fields and intuitively collaborates with visual artists, musicians, designers, and architects, in order to advance in his own field of expertise.
As said, the designer is keen to develop a language of his own, fusing all the data he has come across and collected on his career path. The exhibition offers an in-depth look at the defining highlights of Abloh’s career with signature collections, video documentation of his most iconic shows, music highlights, and his distinctive collections of furniture, design, and graphic works. Obviously, much attention has been given to creating a matching scenography. Designed by Samir Bantal, director of AMO, the show covers seven areas of Abloh’s work over the past twenty years, presenting the different areas of his work in various fields (on through Sep 22). Following the inaugural event at the MCA Chicago, the Figures of Speech exhibition will travel to Atlanta‘s High Museum of Art coming November, the ICA in Boston in July 2020, and finally, the Brooklyn Museum in New York City in Winter 2020.
Designed by Virgil Abloh
Photography: Nathan Keay