The monumental celebration of Virgil Abloh’s work, opening on his birth date, September 30, will remind everyone, if need be, of his enormous influence not only on fashion, but also on global culture. It will magnify how much his energy, his generosity of spirit, his creativity are missed today. Abloh was much more than the head designer of Louis Vuitton’s menswear - the first Black designer to serve as artistic director of the brand in its 164 year old history - or the founder of Off-White. He was a cultural icon who gave many young people the inspiration and the impulse to start their own project.
Virgil Abloh: The Codes, in the majestic Grand Palais, will be showing a selection of objects, prototypes, sketches, as well as his personal collection and library chosen among his 20.000 object archive. “The exhibition is tracing how Abloh’s signature design principles - his “Codes” - thread through his work in apparel, footwear, architecture, music, advertising and more, unifying a practice that spans multiple disciplines.” This will be the first major European exhibition dedicated to Abloh, one of the most influential creative figures of the 21st Century, who died in 2021.
The exhibition, curated by Chloe Sultan & Mahfuz Sultan, will be an exploration of Abloh’s kaleidoscopic creative output. Born in Rockford, not far from Chicago, Abloh, whose parents emigrated from Ghana, studied engineering and then architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology. After working with musician Kanye West as an art director, Abloh started his own brand, Off-White, bringing streetwear closer to luxury. By 2018, Off-White was even ranked as the hottest brand in the world. His talent was not limited to fashion. He collaborated with Ikea, the Swedish brand, and with Nike to reimagine its most famous shoes.
The mission of the Virgil Abloh Archive is to keep his ideas alive. “This exhibit is just the beginning of our work to share Virgil’s legacy and principles with the creative community and the broader world,” explains Shannon Abloh, his wife and President and Chair of Virgil Abloh Archive. “Through the Archive,Virgil will live on as a source of inspiration and beacon of creative knowledge.” The Codes are the soul of Abloh’s legacy, they are at the heart of the Archive.
Virgil Abloh’s talent, generosity, brilliance, boldness, and his sense of community continue to be a source of inspiration for many people across the world. He has given us the code to unlock the potential of so many.
~Jean-Sébastien Stehli
Virgil Abloh: The Codes. Grand Palais, Paris. September 30 - October 10, 2025. virgilabloh.com
