Fashion designer and Kanye West's creative director Virgil Abloh is the latest name to team up with IKEA. In this interview, he speaks about his cult clothing brand, the connection between streetwear and modernist architecture, and the influence of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe on his work.
Abloh is one of fashion's rising stars and a longtime collaborator of rapper Kanye West. Together they have produced music videos and tour sets. Abloh has also worked closely with artists and designers like Peter Saville and Es Devlin during his 15 years as a creative director.
He was tipped to take over from Riccardo Tisci at Givenchy, before the luxury fashion house quelled the rumours earlier this year.
Abloh's own clothing line, Off-white, has gained a cult following similar to that of brands like Vetements and Supreme since launching in 2013, and is a favourite of young influential celebrities like Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and Gigi Hadid. "Of all those experiences, patiently working on the other projects, being inspired, meeting a lot of interesting people ? that helped me form my own vision," he told Dezeen, ahead of a talk at the Rhode Island School of Design in April.
Virgil Abloh is one of fashion's rising stars and the latest designer announced to collaborate with IKEA. Portrait by Fabien Montique.
However it is the 36-year-old's latest partnership that has brought him to the attention of the furniture world. Earlier this month, IKEA revealed it will be working with Abl...