As part of honouring the memory of Virgil Abloh, an American-born son of Ghanaian immigrants, Louis Vuitton held a Virgil Abloh last fashion collection show in Miami on Tuesday, days after his sudden death on Sunday.
In the sky outside Miami’s Marine Stadium, the venue for the memorial event, drones formed Abloh’s initials and spelled out the words “Virgil was here” as well as a giant statue of Abloh.
According to pictures available to The Chronicle, streetwear designer Don Crawley, Kim Kardashian, Kanye West and their daughter North and rapper ASAP Ferg were some of the known names present at the memorial event. Chicago-based Rapper Scott ‘Kid Cudi’ Mescudi walked the runway before a live audience.
Other models on the runway were clad in Vuitton jerseys, while others wore black top hats, bright red jumpsuits and blue suits. Female models carried blue and pink lockbox purses, while the men sported gray duffle bags.
The event had more online audience with more than 14,000 viewers watching live on YouTube.
Virgil Abloh died on Sunday November 28 at age 41 following a private battle with cancer. This event according to deepthroat was planned ahead of the death of the artistic designer of Louis Vuitton, but LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH.PA) decided to transform it into a tribute to Abloh.
Kendall Reynolds, chief executive of Kendall Miles Designs, said in an interview before the show that “His (Abloh) indelible mark on the disruption of traditional European fashion houses will be a legacy that all young designers, like myself, can learn from.”
By Nana Kwesi Coomson