High Top Sneaker | Off Sweat Pant
Since launching in 2014 Off-White's creative director - the now (in)famous Virgil Abloh - has unleashed a polarising "visual language" that has captured the mindset of millennial consumers and left an inner sanctum of style elites reeling at the rise of fashion's latest 'under-qualified' (their words, not ours) messiah. But what their analogue outlook on an outdated system fails to realise is that Abloh is a symbol of the times we live in.
As direct-to-consumer communication, zeitgeist-led design, and a nuanced understanding of the post-modern luxury consumer replaces the need for insider industry approval, Virgil's polymathic rise to reverence will likely redefine the cost of entry for a new generation of design icons. In an age when a designer's Instagram feed is the new PR and a self-aware irony towards the folly of luxury is as essential as the clothes are not, the stage has been meticulously set for the emergence of a new breed of designer. Designers who make up for their lack of on-paper credentials with a creative and cultural relevance that established labels may be structurally unfit to contend with. Whether Abloh simply pre-empted an inevitable market shift, or strategically redressed the design stage to suit his own vision, may never be fully determined, but Off-White has indisputably established itself as a key player in the ongoing blur of streetwear and high fashion.
Committed to delivering collections which manifest as timely commentaries on contemporary culture, Abloh's reflective aesthetic (which holds up a mirror to the world and dares them to look) was applied ever-more deftly for the label's SS18 menswear presentation. Joining forces with American artist, Jenny Holzer, Off-White's SS18 reflected upon the ongoing international refugee crisis. Drawing inspiration from the unofficial symbol of this humanitarian disaster, a life-jacket, Abloh drew global focus to the issue with a runway show that was as politically loaded as it was visually impressive.
As the simmering pot of international tension reaches dangerous temperatures, Abloh reflected on the disasters of war with poetry from Polish poet Anna Swierczynski written during the Warsaw uprising of 1944. This subversive and anti-establishment commentary on pertinent geo-political issues sat in stark contrast with the frivolity and excess of fashion week: another shining example of Virgil's ongoing dialogue with a generation of 'woke' consumers.
Concept-driven design which seamlessly trickles down to inform highly coppable streetwear product, Off-White's SS18 collection is now available at END.
