Sotheby's Features Virgil Abloh's Louis Vuitton Designs
The enduring market influence of the late Virgil Abloh is being highlighted through curated sales at Sotheby's. The auction house is offering selections of his limited-edition Louis Vuitton pieces, including accessories like a 2022 Monogram Illusion Leather Pocket Organizer, reinforcing the collectible status of his work.
- A prior Sotheby's auction of 200 pairs of the Louis Vuitton and Nike "Air Force 1" sneakers designed by Abloh fetched a total of $25.3 million, far exceeding the initial estimate of $3 million. Proceeds from that sale benefited The Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund, which supports Black fashion students. - Abloh's appointment in March 2018 made him the first person of African descent to be the artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear line. His debut Spring/Summer 2019 collection was showcased on a rainbow-colored runway at the Palais-Royal gardens in Paris, with musicians like Kid Cudi and Playboi Carti walking the show. - The initial sales from Abloh's debut collection surpassed Louis Vuitton's highly successful collaboration with Supreme. A Tokyo pop-up, for instance, generated 30 percent more revenue in its first 48 hours than the Supreme launch. - Abloh, who was trained as an architect, often applied a "3 percent approach" to his design, believing a 3% tweak to an existing concept was enough to create something new and innovative. This philosophy guided his work across various fields, including fashion, music, and furniture design. - His multi-disciplinary approach included collaborations with a wide range of brands and artists, such as Nike, IKEA, and Takashi Murakami, bridging the gap between streetwear and high fashion. - The RealReal reported a 64% increase in searches for Louis Vuitton and a 135% jump among millennial men on the day his appointment was announced, signaling his immediate impact on brand interest. - Abloh's successor, Pharrell Williams, was appointed as the new creative director for Louis Vuitton menswear in February 2023. His debut show took place on Paris's Pont Neuf bridge and was a star-studded event attended by celebrities like Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Zendaya. - Sotheby's has increasingly ventured into streetwear and luxury collaborations, partnering with figures like Victoria Beckham and brands like Highsnobiety to attract younger collectors to traditional auction categories.
