Make it ours: Virgil Abloh’s biography is here

It arrived in bookstores on 25 July and has already captivated fans of the legendary designer who passed away prematurely: “Make it ours” is the biography of Virgil Abloh written by Robin Givhan, renowned fashion critic for the Washington Post.

The journalist, who also boasts a Pulitzer Prize in her career, passionately recounts the designer’s life and career, providing interesting food for thought. In addition to the undeniable talent that led him to revolutionise a brand like Louis Vuitton, Givhan provides a careful analysis of what Abloh’s success meant for the black community and how impactful his arrival was in the exclusive and elitist world of the fashion business.

The biography also features first-hand accounts from family members, colleagues, friends and celebrities such as Ozwald Boateng and Kanye West, and provides a detailed description of the historical moment in which Virgil became the figurehead of Vuitton. Born in Chicago in 1980 to a family of Ghanaian origin, the designer immediately stood out for his ability to blend streetwear with luxury (after an internship at Fendi, he successfully launched his first clothing line: Off-White).

His appointment as head of the LVMH group‘s most representative brand caused a stir: he is the first African American to become artistic director of a French luxury fashion house. Virgil is used to breaking down barriers, not only in fashion but also in society. He has an observant spirit that takes him beyond the offices of power, allowing him to understand what the public wants: the success of the Vuitton men’s line he designed was immediate.

The book takes into account the creative and social impact of such a revolutionary figure. Among its pages, readers will also be moved by the memory of the designer’s untimely death at the age of 41 from cancer, which was diagnosed in 2019 and never made public. A tragic and unexpected death that does not, however, extinguish the memory that is still alive in all of us and that resurfaces in this biography, which is as authentic and powerful as his own textile creations.

Ph: Particolare da Myles Kalus Anak Jihem, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons