Virgil Abloh Is The New Establishment

As fashion houses go, few have the history and balance sheet of Louis Vuitton.Which is why the appointment of the streetwear supremo as its new menswear artistic director signalled a new era not just for the brand, but the industry. GQ met LVMHs first African-Americanfigurehead for an exclusive look at his inaugural collection.

- Teo Van Den Broeke

The mood in Virgil Abloh’s new studio in Louis Vuitton’s Paris headquarters tells you everything you need to know about the label’s new artistic director of menswear. Most ateliers, a week before a show, transform into high-stress, high-energy nerve centres where tantrums are commonplace and emotions run high. When I visit Abloh just days before his first outing for the brand, however, it’s as calm as silk in a summer breeze. The alt-jazz strains of the new Sons Of Kemet album are drifting out of the enormous black Pioneer speakers Abloh has recently installed in the space; there are fashionable young people in caps and trainers moving languidly around the rails, discussing fabric samples in hushed tones; and there are several men hunched over the decks in Abloh’s office, discussing music for the show. The only thing that resembles an established fashion environment is the very civilised staff lunch of rare roast beef, perfectly sliced pomodorini and roasted balsamic onions (no carbs to see here) being laid out by a compact man in a perfectly cut suit. But then, Abloh is nothing if not anti-establishment. A 37-year-old, self-made African-American designer with a streetwear aesthetic, a low-key vibe and 3 million Instagram followers, Abloh’s appointment at Louis Vuitton has shifted the dial in the world of high fashion.