Welcome to the third episode of Uncoverd, a video series by ParametricArchitecture. In this series, PA’s editor Luka Koumari reveals less known and exciting facts about iconic figures and projects in the architecture and design world. Uncoverd’s third episode will be in memory of Virgil Abloh, where Luka will go over some of his most significant contributions to the design and fashion industry. Abloh was born outside of Chicago on September 30, 1980. He and his sister were raised in nearby Rockford by Ghanaian immigrant parents. Abloh attends Boylan Catholic High School, which has the official colors of green and white and graduated in 1998. His mother is a seamstress, and she teaches him the ins and outs of her art.

Virgil Abloh earned a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2002. He obtained his Master of Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2006. During his internship at Fendi in Italy in 2009, Abloh met world-famous rapper Kanye West, and the two began working together. Kanye West appointed Abloh as creative head of his agency in 2011.

A year later, Virgil Abloh launched his first company, “Pyrex Vision.” He purchased deadstock Ralph Lauren clothes, put new designs on them, and sold them for more than ten times the price. The company was shut down a year later because the company never intended to be a legitimate business but rather one of Abloh’s aesthetic projects/experiments.

In 2013, the designer launched his fashion label, “Off-White,” specializing in high-end streetwear and headquarters in Milan, Italy. This was followed by a string of successful collaborations with well-known brands such as Nike and IKEA.

Abloh was also named menswear artistic director at Louis Vuitton in March 2018. He died in November 2021 after a long battle with cancer.

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– PA’s UNCOVERD