Louis Vuitton is using the windows of its boutiques all around the world to honor the life and career of its late artistic director Virgil Abloh. The menswear designer died on November 28 at the age of 41 after a private, two-year battle with a rare form of cancer.
Louis Vuitton stores from New York to London to Bangkok are currently displaying large, colorful panels on their windows with the words “Virgil was here.” The phrase is something that has been used since Abloh’s fashion show took place last week in Miami after the designer’s death to show the impact he had on the fashion industry.
The panels are inspired by the windows that Louis Vuitton displayed when Abloh debuted his Wizard of Oz collection for the brand in 2019. The windows also feature inspirational quotes attributed to Abloh, including “Let your imagination run riot,” “Everything I do is for the 17-year-old version of myself,” and, “I’m a dreamer. I think about how long my ideas can impact or bring a different voice to the rest of the world.”
Fittingly, another of Abloh’s quotes reads: “Life is so short. You can’t waste even a day subscribing to what someone thinks you can do versus knowing what you can do.”
Celebrities including musicians Maluma, Ricky Martin, and Kid Cudi, attended Abloh’s posthumous fashion show last week to reveal his Spring-Summer 2022 collection for Louis Vuitton.
Abloh made history when he became Louis Vuitton’s first Black artistic director in the history of the brand. His designs were worn by celebrities like Michael B. Jordan, Timothée Chalamet, and the late Chadwick Boseman.