Virgil Abloh - Designer

[perfect blue]

Riccardo for LV menswear would be a good step forward and Virgil was influenced by Riccardo. He also was influential to menswear fashion in the early 2010s and has the vision for streetwear and high fashion that LV would need. But I feel like LVMH would not want to erase the social and cultural legacy that Virgil had so they could be sensitive about having a white designer replace him.

 

[KoV]

Telfar Clemens? lol

 

[eugenius]

"Dear Lucas. Just admit it. You don't really want to do that Theory line anyways, do you?"

Anyways, I can't say I'm really all that enthused about their LV mens line. I don't see anybody wearing it (besides celebrities...and, I suspect, people in Asia), and I've never seen it as a heavyweight in the grand scheme of menswear. If anything, it always seemed like a giant marketing scheme from LVMH...just another ploy to say "Hey, we're inclusive--we do menswear now, too!" LV wants you to invest in their leather goods first and foremost...not knitwear with a Wizard Of Oz image or, God forbit, a sequinned harness.

 

[Benn98]

^The menswear is very popular in China, and I'd say it ended up being more sought after than the women's line. I've seen LV Men get coverage in countries where the brand doesn't have any presence.

Telfar Clemens? lol

Why are you laughing, lol, I can see it happen. Telfar already has cred thanks to those it bags, and the label is on everyone's radar. We all know that's one of the top deciding factors for a LVMH creative director (Rihanna!). Gap's loss can be LV's gain.

 

[KoV]

Why are you laughing, lol, I can see it happen. Telfar already has cred thanks to those it bags, and the label is on everyone's radar. We all know that's one of the top deciding factors for a LVMH creative director (Rihanna!). Gap's loss can be LV's gain.

Oh, trust and believe I’m not laughing at the improbability of my guess, more so the obviousness of it. Popular with the press, huge commercial success in recent years (much more than, say, Kerby Jean-Raymond), young, Black, Queer, American.

 

[Salvatore]

If we are choosing black designers, I guess I’d rather Telfar over the designer of Pyer Moss. He’s a bit insufferable for me.

 

[Benn98]

If we are choosing black designers, I guess I’d rather Telfar over the designer of Pyer Moss. He’s a bit insufferable for me.

Although Salvatore, don't you think Grace Wales Bonner could bring a sort of irreverence to Vuitton menswear? She could do what JWA is doing for Loewe. There's a demand for that aesthetic in menswear right now. Plus she's English which is course is always a safe bet.

 

[KoV]

She’s definitely more talented than several of the other names mentioned here, but I hope she doesn’t take the job, if asked. She could do something more exciting than what they clearly have in mind for LV Menswear.

 

[bc collector]

Although Salvatore, don't you think Grace Wales Bonner could bring a sort of irreverence to Vuitton menswear?

I have to say, among the bunch of designers of color, she's by far the most talented: like, for example, she has this exceptional skill that few of the above mentioned have, I believe it's called sewing, and she might do something with it working for a fashion house.
But I have a feeling that technical skills are the last of the worries LV's suits care about when they choose a designer. Also I feel she isn't enough of a hypebeast idol to be considered for the spot and her light, like for so many British designers, has somewhat dimmed after the first few promising seasons.

 

[dior_couture1245]

I can see the designer from Hanifa taking over. She ticks all the boxes and her runway debut was a triumph. I know she hasn’t done menswear, but she’s up to the challenge. Also, according to the fashion press, her 3-D runway show revolutionized the industry.

 

[KoV]

What about Jerry Lorenzo, from Fear of God?

 

[Benn98]

What about Jerry Lorenzo, from Fear of God?

Some degree of talent is required for his position, surely?

 

[KoV]

Some degree of talent is required for his position, surely?

LOL I’m not actually sure that’s a prerequisite, if you have hype. People seem to eat his stuff up. Frances McDormand even wore Fear of God on the cover of Vogue!

 

[Salvatore]

Although Salvatore, don't you think Grace Wales Bonner could bring a sort of irreverence to Vuitton menswear? She could do what JWA is doing for Loewe. There's a demand for that aesthetic in menswear right now. Plus she's English which is course is always a safe bet.

Now that you mention her Benn98, I’d say yes ! Her ideas with the LVMH budget could be interesting and nice enough for me to want to purchase LV menswear.

I do have to say I wish these times were so based on someone’s race, gender, sexuality, etc so much because I feel like it’s not always getting the best candidate for the job. With that said, I think Grace would be great because she seems capable and talented !

 

[Benn98]

LOL I’m not actually sure that’s a prerequisite, if you have hype. People seem to eat his stuff up. Frances McDormand even wore Fear of God on the Vogue!

Anna is also the one who regularly shoves Kerby's pieces down our throats and supported Marchesa and Kanye in their early years. At times she can be a bit too driven by hype.

Her last true protege was John.

 

[Lola701]

^Nicolas? Other than a few pieces here and there, his menswear at Balenciaga was a snoozefest. KvA and some of the new crowd borrowed heavily from it, but I never liked it. Virgil has made LV Men hypervisible which also means profitable. Whoever takes over must be someone on top of their game.
Anyway, I don't have any sort of attachment to Louis Vuitton. It was never a brand I admired, even from afar.

As for Ticky, yes that would actually be a lovely idea, Fluxx! I'd want that. Anything to save us from the eternal nightmare that is his Burberry.

Nicolas has included a lot of unisex silhouettes in his shows and he is dressing the men attending his shows in his womenswear….
I can see that happening.

And one of Virgil’s best seller bag is the man version of the Petite Malle.
His current approach to womenswear would totally make sense in menswear…


I can see LVMH hiring a black designer for Off White. I don’t necessarily see them doing it for Louis Vuitton because I don’t think all the designers are that culturally connected as Virgil.

Kris Van Assche can always be a safe option for them but he doesn’t have that eye for gimmicks, novelty products and stuff.
He is great for products tho.

And Riccardo for Vuitton is a bit ridiculous at this point guys. We saw the miracle he did at Givenchy and we saw how LVMH has yet to recreate that. Do you all think they would lose the opportunity of having him run a whole fashion house instead of just the menswear?

 

[Lola701]

Although Salvatore, don't you think Grace Wales Bonner could bring a sort of irreverence to Vuitton menswear? She could do what JWA is doing for Loewe. There's a demand for that aesthetic in menswear right now. Plus she's English which is course is always a safe bet.

What’s her aesthetic? Adidas ensembles?

 

[KoV]

This news gave me "cancer". It's like Wang for Balenciaga all over again and at this point I feel like for Nicolas it's time to leave because it's quite disrespectful to be under the same brand with this "copycat".

not your fault, but if ever there were a post that didn’t age well….

 

[bc collector]

What’s her aesthetic? Adidas ensembles?

Well, as for that, did Virgil have an aesthetic to begin with?

 

[Lola701]

Well, as for that, did Virgil have an aesthetic to begin with?

No but he was a cultural force. His talent has never been in design or even creativity but with his ability to reflect hiphop culture to an hypebeast generation…


Grâce is maybe a good designer but I’m less than impressed by her offering. And we can say that she is a cultural force.
She has her entry at LVMH for sure but for Vuitton?
We will see anyway. It’s either Alexandre or Delphine who will decide and lately Alexandre has made a lot of moves…