mostfamousshoes.He’salsodesigned
a cafeforLeBonMarchéandcostumes
fortheNewYorkCityBallet.He’smade
sunglassesforWarbyParker,fragrance
andskin-care products forByredo,
bootsforTimberland,sweatshirtsfor
Champion,watchesforBraun,weather
gearforGore-Tex,swimmingtrunksfor
Vilebrequin,shirtsforKith,anda black
tutuforSerenaWilliams.
InAugust,globalluxurymarketplace
FarfetchLtd. acquiredNewGuards
Group, theparent companyof Off-
White,for$675million.FarfetchCEO
JoséNevescalledOff-Whiteandother
newlyacquiredlabels,includingPalm
AngelsandHeronPreston(whichAbloh
hasalsoworkedwith),the“brandsof
thefuture.”
Abloh’srisehasbeenfueledatleast
inpartbyanuncannyabilitytocre-
atebridgeswith fans.JeffCarvalho,
managingdirectorofstreetwearsite
Highsnobiety,saysAblohhasallowed
fashionconsumerstobea partofhis
world,lettingthemincloserthananyone
elsebefore.Heanswersaninordinately
high number ofdirect messageson
Instagramandevenrespondstotagged
photos.“Idon’tthinkhe’sbecomeso
muchofa designcelebrityasmuchas
he’sbecomeanimportantfigurefor
youngcreativesthatarelookingtofig-
ureouthowtomakeit,”Carvalhosays.
“He’soneofus.”
Abloh’s show at the Museum of
Contemporary Art (on view until
Sept. 22)is ontracktosetanattendance
record,bestingtotalsfromthe likes
ofJeffKoonsandAndyWarhol.And
Chicagoseemstobethirstyformore
streetwear.SneakerresellerStadium
Goods—whichreceiveda $250million
infusionfromFarfetchinDecember—will
opena storenearthemuseum.Therap-
perDrake,too,willsetupa WindyCity
shopforhisownstreetwearbrandinthe
No.9 Waltonbuilding,hometoCitadel
founderKenGriffin.
Abloh’snewfallcollectionforLouis
Vuittonfeaturesclothesinmutedneu-
tralsandbagswithcolorfulstripes.
Upnextarethree moreshoeswith
Nikethatarerumoredtohitshelves
in September.63head of womenswear has done one
in the same time frame.) On June 24
he dropped a shoe with Nike; a week
before that, a collection of furniture
and home decor with Swiss company
Vitra International AG made its debut
at Art Basel. In May, Abloh released a
setof rugs with Ikea of Sweden AB and
a limited-^ edition water bottle for Evian.
April he created a small collection for
s,which featured yellow Gore-Tex
arates and deconstructed denim.
iew a great collaboration as a great
versation,” Abloh says. “To me it’s a
taphor and a modern way of work-
ing.New, unpredictable, constructive
ideascome from conversation.”
The designer grew up outside Chicago
in a middle-class neighborhood in
Rockford, Ill., raised by Ghanaian immi-
grant parents. After earning degrees at
the University of Wisconsin at Madison
and the Illinois Institute of Technology,
he interned at Fendi in Rome, where
he impressed Michael Burke, current
chairman and chief executive officer of
Louis Vuitton. Abloh introduced his first
brand, Pyrex Vision, in 2012. It featured
screen-printed T-shirts, but he shuttered
the project after a year and rebranded it
as Off-White, the label that would earn
him international recognition.
Over the past six months, prices for
Abloh’s products have skyrocketed on
resale marketplace StockX. The 2017
Off-White Chicago Jordan 1 sneakers
have increased in resale value by $900
and today sell for as much as $5,000;
the 2018 Off-White Jordan 1s have risen
$700. Items in the Virgil x MCA collec-
tion are reselling for 40% above their
retail prices. Jesse Einhorn, StockX’s data
content director, says the Chicago take-
over has accelerated this surge in inter-
est for Abloh’s goods. “Overall, demand
for Virgil-associated products is stronger
than ever,” he says.
Thesheernumberofcollaborations
hasn’tdampedenthusiasm.Inthepast
twoyears,he’sreleaseda see-through
luggagecollectionwithRimowa,a bot-
tleofrosé Champagne withMoët &
Chandon,a sweatsuitthatlookslike
scrubs for Equinox, and a
Nikethatreimagined 10 ofitsFALL STYLE Bloomberg Pursuits August 26, 2019NIKECOURT FLARE 2 Abloh has
designed outfits for Serena Williams to
wear at this year’s U.S. Open. This shoe, from
last year’s tournament, has a built-in sock
ABLOH: and an off-center Nike swoosh.
JOSHUA
OSBORNE/VITRA
EVIAN After assuming the role of
creative adviser for sustainable design
at the bottled-water brand, Abloh
dropped this collaboration with hydration
startup Soma during New York Fashion
Week in May.VILEBREQUIN The French
brand’s $300 swimming trunks got a
dose of the street in June with an Off-
White collaboration that included floral
prints and neon colors.IKEA A collection of rugs for the
Swedish furniture brand featured Abloh’s
trademark text set off with quotation
marks. Released in May, it’s sold out, but a
new line is due this November in the U.S.