“VIRGIL, THANK YOU ALWAYS.”
We often don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone, and that reality hit hard when Virgil Abloh left us on November 28, 2021. After a private battle with cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare cancer, this visionary passed at just 41. But in those years, he changed the game, leaving a legacy as the mastermind behind Off-White and the Men’s Artistic Director at Louis Vuitton.
“Kill them with kindness”—that’s how Tremaine Emory, founder of Denim Tears, sums up Virgil’s vibe. While critics questioned his place in high fashion, Virgil never clapped back. His focus was always on creating, staying true to his vision, and proving that he didn’t need validation from anyone who didn’t get it.
In a compelling hour-long convo led by Kerwin Frost, Tremaine Emory, Bloody Osiris, and ASAP Nast dove deep into Virgil’s legacy. It hit different hearing Nast—usually one of the more low-key voices—open up about what Virgil meant to him. You could feel the genuine admiration he had for Virgil.
“It wasn’t just about his creative skills, it was the love he showed,” Nast said, perfectly capturing Virgil’s energy. “He had no pride, no ego—he put that aside.” Nast wasn’t just talking about Virgil as a designer, but as a person.
“V was the kind of guy who’d rather you didn’t do anything for him. He’d just say, ‘I got y’all,’” Nast noted.
Virgil’s generosity was different. Like when Mufasa said, “While others look for what they can take, a true king looks for what he can give.” That’s Virgil to a tee. In an industry where people love to flex about how much they give back, Virgil was all about doing the work without making it a headline.
And that was the heart of Virgil’s mission, dishing out “cheat codes” and “trails of information.” He launched “FREE GAME,” a platform designed to provide Black and POC fashion creatives with the tools and resources they need to succeed.
In a world where opportunities often feel reserved for the few, Virgil Abloh’s legacy serves as a powerful beacon—showing us that the potential to rise exists within us all. His life urges us to believe that if he can do it, so can we.
“VIRGIL, THANK YOU ALWAYS.”