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The Brooklyn Museum’s latest exhibition is an ode to fashion ground breaker Virgil Abloh. In its first Survey Exhibition, the iconic venue celebrates a man who changed global perceptions of race and class in the creative world.
The fashion industry and the creative world at large have been in a state of perpetual mourning since designer Virgil Abloh passed away in November.
At the time of his death, Abloh was creative director of Louis Vuitton Menswear and his own label Off-White, which he founded in 2012. During his tenure, both fashion houses spawned collections that redefined street wear, luxury, and sartorial identity in ways never seen before.
By drawing sneakers, tracksuits, and industrial elements like chains and zip ties into the realm of high fashion, ‘[Abloh elevated] street clothes so closely adjacent to the black experience into the realm of fashion that historically negated it’ said fashion historian and curator Darnell Lisby James.
This week, nearly 4 months on from his death, the Brooklyn Museum is devoting is first museum survey exhibition to Abloh’s incredible life and career. Running from July 2022 to January 2023, ‘Figures of Speech’ will feature sculptures, immersive spaces, drawings and other visual ode’s to Abloh’s memory.
Speaking about the exhibition, the Brooklyn Museum said, ‘This is the first museum survey exhibition devoted to late artist and designer Virgil Abloh, whose work reshaped notions of contemporary fashion, art, commerce, design, and youth culture’.
Virgil Abloh’s attack on the inaccessible, his violent overhaul of learned fashion ‘rules’ based on class and social standing, marked a vivaciousness that could enter spaces previously closed off to many.
Now the residues of Abloh’s life – one lived fearlessly in its creative endeavours and, in its final months, in the humble concealment of an aggressive cancer diagnosis that would ultimately end it – will continue to infiltrate cultural spaces originally created for America’s white, wealthy elite.
Located in one of New York City’s largest and most prestigious museum venues, ‘Figures of Speech’ is a testament to the glass ceilings Abloh consistently shattered. Lisby James argues that the designer proved luxury ‘can be a state of mind rather than solely focused on price point and brand exclusivity’.
Paving the way for Black designers, and transforming the socio-political perceptions of fashion, Abloh was as much an artist as he was a designer. He created work that brought joy to its audiences, inviting everyone to join in on the fun.
In an industry that’s made its millions by pivoting style and luxury as unattainable, Abloh’s ability to drive demand in an inclusive way made him one of the most influential creative leaders in modern history.
The Brooklyn Museum’s exhibition is an apt nod to a figure who dabbled in ‘various disciplines from architecture, contemporary art, dance and digital art.’
