Virgil Was Here: Louis Vuitton Celebrates Late Designer Virgil Abloh In Sendoff Show

By Ahmad Hamizan  •  03 Dec 2021 in Fashion

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Earlier this week, Louis Vuitton (LV) held it’s Spring-Summer 2022 showcase in Miami – the last collection designed by it’s late Artistic Director Virgil Abloh, who passed away on Sunday after a private battle with cancer.

Held on a massive barge docked of Miami’s Biscayne Bay, the show’s theme was ‘Coming of age’, a concept Virgil had been working on for more than three years.

With a guest list of over 1,500 people, fellow fashion industry figures, collaborators, as well as high-profile celebrities and artistes were in attendance to pay tribute to the trailblazing designer.

LV CEO Michael Burke gave a teary-eyed eulogy to Virgil before the show, saying that he was still working on the show up until his last days.

“It was the wish of Virgil’s wife, Shannon, and his family that tonight’s show and concert went ahead,” he said.

“The last time that I spoke with Virgil was on Saturday evening. He talked with passion about the finer details of the show… He had imagined it all, and he was distraught not to be here to share it with us in person.”

Overlooking the crowd was a 30-foot tall statue of Virgil – lit up in a vibrant rainbow multicolour – sporting his signature thick sunglasses and an LV monochrome vinyl record holder.

Nearby, a bright red hot air balloon was also anchored in place, with the designer’s intention being that these set-pieces invoke the sense of curiosity one has as a child.

After the show, guests were serenaded to a concert by two artists Virgil admired deeply – Kid Cudi and Erykah Badu – before being treated to a drone light show in his name.

His allegorical paper airplane was represented, before the show was closed out with the words spelling “Virgil was here”.

A fitting tribute to his legacy.