Virgil Abloh, Louis Vuitton designer, has died at the age of 41

Louis Vuitton designer Virgil Abloh died unexpectedly. The LVMH group announced that he died on Sunday at the age of 41 as a result of a serious disease of cancer.

According to the announcement, the chairman of the French luxury goods company, Bernard Arnault, said: “We were all shocked by this terrible news. Virgil was not only a brilliant designer, a visionary – he was also a man of beautiful spirit and great wisdom.” Abloh has been battling a very rare and serious cancer for more than two years, according to the designer’s personal Instagram account.

Abloh, who was also known as a DJ and founded his own streetwear brand Off-White, has been the creative director of Louis Vuitton’s men’s line since March 2018. It was only in July that LVMH announced that Abloh would be taking on other roles on the group.

His entry to Louis Vuitton created quite a stir in 2018, and Abloh was previously the chief creative strategist for American musician Kanye West and the first African American in the position. In addition, Abloh was not a trained designer – he studied civil engineering and as an architect. He left behind his wife Shannon and two children.

SDA