In the years leading up to his untimely death in 2021 at the age of 41, Virgil Abloh was frequently called as the most influential fashion designer of his generation. Not quite the most technical—far from it. Even during his tenure at Louis Vuitton, where he set a precedent as the pioneering Black designer to direct the brand's men's line in 2018, he leaned toward graphic tees over custom cuts. But as a pop-culture-obsessed polymath who tackled fashion with a youthful zeal, his democratic take on streetwear sought to democratize the exclusive world of fashion to aspiring creatives like him who had traditionally overlooked, whether he was leaving his mark on Evian bottles or £8,000 bags.
Multidisciplinary artist … photograph of Virgil Abloh.
The extent of his impact on design isn't easily measured in material objects, but The Codes exhibition, the premier display devoted entirely to the late fashion designer's massive 20,000-item archive, reveals that he was as much a voracious collector of objects—the eponymous codes—as he was a creator of them.
Organized by Abloh's collaborators Chloe and Mahfuz Sultan along with his widow, Shannon, this two-storey exhibition uses his possessions to trace his path from the son of Ghanaian immigrants in Illinois to designer, graphic designer, DJ, and eventually one of the leading designers in the world.
The arrangement evokes a flea market. Heaps of stacked Off-White T-shirts and Nike trainer collaborations share space with design implements, scissors, and old computers. A pair of Nike Air Jordan 1s have been reversed, while one of his leather handbags emblazoned with the word “sculpture” (inverted commas were one of his trademark elements) sits by itself on a pedestal.
The more interactive installations include his studio at Louis Vuitton (he famously described his phone as his desk) and a full-size DJ booth; testament of his wide appeal, coming of age in Illinois in the 2000s, his performance alias back then was Flat White.
The labeling is minimal, and while some of the more cryptic additions—assorted USB sticks and audio recordings in glass vitrines—will only resonate to his most devoted followers, it is a fascinating insight into the creative psyche of a late millennial developing in a capitalist world before TikTok.
Overwhelming … some of the objects on display at this retrospective.
At times it can feel excessive, but the structured layout is also how Abloh worked. He would capture his discussions with journalists on tapes which he retained in order to revisit and pore over as his work progressed. The tapes are likely among the remaining objects still in holding which—judging by the reception and lines outside—will almost certainly be displayed in upcoming shows.
Abloh's tenure at Louis Vuitton was very successful but it was his joint projects with worldwide companies which transcended the attraction of his fashion design, handling each item—a Rimowa suitcase, a Nike trainer, the aforementioned Evian bottles—as if he was sampling a track. This originated from his “3% theory”—the philosophy that you could create a fresh concept by modifying an original by just 3%.
Debuting for just 10 days during the Parisian fashion scene at the iconic location—exclusive access was a classic Virgil strategy—the scheduled lines outside on its opening day imply it wasn't simply the hottest ticket in town, but that it was unthinkable to think that Abloh's impact would simply disappear from fashion's slipstream after his death.
