I have always cared about the clothes I chose to wear. As a kid I would dress up in a mix of random items ranging from superhero capes to ski goggles with a stethoscope around my neck and my custom yellow checkerboard Vans. I wore bow ties and cardigans with beat up sneakers and graphic tees. I enjoyed not caring. I saw it as a way of expressing myself.
That is until freshman year, when people started treating me differently for the clothes I wore. People would make assumptions about me and spread rumors about my sexuality based around the stereotype that experimenting with clothing was inherently feminine. And a lot of people thought that about me for a long time.
It was like a switch flipped in my head. I realized how many people had made assumptions about me simply because of my clothes. I had never thought of the clothes I wore as something people would make fun of me for, and I soon became self conscious of everything I did. I started wearing basic clothes and trying my best to fit in. I was trying to be a person that I didn’t even want to be.
This is when I stumbled across Virgil Abloh, a clothing designer and artist whose work and attitude inspired me to be myself.
Abloh was an unrivaled creative mind who revolutionized the fashion industry during the 2010’s.
With innovative and eye-catching designs mixed with exclusivity and multiple Nike collaborations, the hype around his brand, Off-White, was unparalleled. When collaborating with Nike, he took their classic sneaker silhouettes and completely reimagined them in his industrial streetwear design style, creating some of the most iconic sneaker collaborations of all time.
In 2018, Abloh became the artistic director for menswear at the iconic high fashion label, Louis Vuitton and made history as the first ever black head designer at a major high fashion label.
Abloh died on Nov. 28 at the age of 41, but he will never be forgotten. He opened the door for young, unconventional designers to follow in his footsteps and was an inspiration to an entire generation of creators who wish to express themselves regardless of the opinions of others.
His impact is deeper than clothing. Abloh was a trailblazer who paved his own path and became one of the most famous and well known designers in the world through only 15 years in the fashion industry. He didn’t go to fashion design school like the majority of clothing designers. Instead he went his own way as an independent artist, and he worked his way to the top by a mix of talent and sheer will power.
He gave me confidence to wear whatever I want but also to take more risks in my life. He designed clothes because he wanted to , and it’s that level of passion, an undying work ethic and simply not caring about the criticism of others that led him to success.
Abloh will be sorely missed, but his legacy will live on by motivating and influencing countless artists and people, myself included.
I’ve been wearing the clothes that I want to wear. I have the confidence now to try out clothes that I find cool like wide fit pants and loafers. Now I get to experiment with mixing vintage streetwear and classic menswear pieces and it feels great having fun with my outfits again.
If you wear clothes that are out of the ordinary it stands out to people, but that doesn’t matter. Clothes shouldn’t be attached to a gender or sexuality. Anyone should be able to wear the clothes they like whether that’s jeans, sneakers, a full suit or 5 inch heels. I enjoy expressing myself through clothes and having fun with fashion, and nobody will take that away from me again.
