Virgil Abloh: Indian designers weigh in

Anand Bhushan, designer

The success of this visionary artist was to define what luxury means in this day and age. He took a page from the existing couture atelier formats and blended it with popular streetwear culture and presented it to the world. His designs were innovative, current and relevant. My personal favourite was dressing Serena Williams with the Nike collab — it set new standards of design. Being an architect, I liked his versions for Ikea; he took his designs to new places that I loved. Also, the sex harness for men on Timothée Chalamet on the red carpet [2019 Golden Globes]. It was a new beginning for menswear.

Namrata Joshipura, designer

Virgil Abloh’s passing is a tragic loss; so young, and so much left to do. Much has been said about how he elevated streetwear, but the ‘disruption’ he created was so much more — after all, he didn’t consider himself a designer but rather a ‘maker.’ [Two designs I liked are] the Off-White x Air Jordan 2 and the Jordan ‘AJ2’.

Also read | Thank you, Virgil Abloh

David Abraham, designer

Virgil Abloh played a key role in the revolution that is destablising the established hierarchies of the fashion world. His work existed at the intersections of the digital and physical world, crossing the boundaries between race, gender and class. Bringing luxury and street together, he seamlessly blended his creativity with astute branding and marketing.

Atul Kasbekar, photographer

Frankly, I’ve been quite blown away by the diversity of Abloh’s range of work. From being amongst the first names in streetwear to [designing] water bottles to furniture — there’s no question about his place right up near the top in the pantheon of creative geniuses. The Off White collabs with Nike are game changers.

Also read | Virgil Abloh: leader by example

Akanksha Sharma, designer, Ikea

He had a very contemporary way of working. He exemplified the possibilities of cross disciplinarity, whether it was designing furniture for Ikea or DJing at Coachella. Being a deep student of his many métiers made him reference things in his own signature way, further shaping visual culture. He was absolutely fearless about crossing boundaries and looked at everything from a constant meta level, recognising what’s existing and stretching them further into one big collective effort.

Arnav Malhotra, designer, No Grey Area

He envisioned democratising fashion and making it inclusive by recontextualising daily objects using intellect and irony, making it relatable to everyone (such as Off-White’s stripes inspired by a zebra crosswalk). He believed something as simple as a T-shirt could one day be high fashion.