Virgil Abloh's Time At Louis Vuitton Comes Full Circle With His 8th And Final Collection
Virgil Forever.
True to form, Virgil Abloh’s final collection with Louis Vuitton comes to a fitting resolution that encompasses the trailblazing designer’s whimsically creative mind and childlike wonder.
Paying close attention to Abloh’s wishes, the creative team at Louis Vuitton brought his vision to life through an explosive set (dubbed the Louis Dreamhouse and Collection 8) with a sky-blue backdrop, scattered stairways, a giant bed, a grand dining table, and a roof with a smoking chimney – a clear homage to American fairytale The Wizard of Oz.
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Photo: Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Fall winter 2022/2023 menswear virgil abloh
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And in the grand scheme of things is Abloh’s denouement that challenges the manmade notions of society such as “masculinity or femininity” and “high or low” while transforming the classic imagery of luxury fashion with influences from art, music, street and sportswear.
The styles include reworked duffle bags with PVC and monogrammed leather patches that are pieced together to create an optical illusion and vibrantly dyed and rubberised crocodile.
However, Abloh’s genius takes a new form in bags realistically shaped like paint buckets with a single-piece metal handle and bouquets with leather flowers that were clasped by models.
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Photo: Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Fall winter 2022/2023 menswear virgil abloh
The other standouts include saturated varsity and workwear jackets, velour and baroque pantsuits, trendy balaclavas and playful baseball caps with animal ears. We cannot not mention the expert use of prints – The Painter’s Studio by Gustave Courbet and Souvenir d’Italie by Giorgio de Chirico – across multiple garments.
Photo: Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Fall winter 2022/2023 menswear virgil abloh
Closing the show, the models marched onto the runway in pure white ensembles with sophisticated tailoring and the inclusion of lace veils and wings constructed to resemble the DIY kites from Abloh’s third collection. This is a tribute that will be remembered indefinitely.
While the sudden passing of this visionary continues to be a bitter pill to swallow, one thing is certain about his time at Louis Vuitton: “Virgil Forever”.
Scroll through to see every look from the collection.