Virgil Abloh’s passing this weekend came as a huge shock to the whole world. The Off-White creator and Louis Vuitton Creative Director was a breath of fresh air in the fashion industry and his impact will last forever. At the age of 41, no one could have thought this would happen, especially since his cancer diagnosis was only known by his family. Regardless of the cause, his death remains incredibly sad, and it has drawn a ton of responses from those who were inspired by him.
One such person was none other than Paul George, who is a Nike athlete. He got to see firsthand just how creative Virgil was, and while speaking to ClutchPoints, George revealed just how much he was inspired by the fashion mogul. His words were very touching, and they speak to the grand nature of what Abloh was able to accomplish.
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“He was a pioneer for our generation, you know, a young generation,” George said. “I think he just created a wave of young Black, young African Americans, and people just, young guys of color, young women of color, to kind of bridge the gap. Especially with something as big as Nike and the fashion world. Nike is primarily an athletic line but I think he made it where they can tap over into the fashion and he was just one of a kind. Definitely opened up the doors for a lot of up-and-coming designers and, you know, he deserves his flowers. It’s unfortunate and sad for his loss.”
Abloh has been honored in various ways over the past few days. In fact, his hometown of Rockford, Illinois will be making tomorrow, December 1st, “Virgil Abloh Day.” It’s the least they can do for such a visionary in the fashion world.