‘The world has lost a true icon’: Rockford designers say Virgil Abloh was an inspiration
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Virgil Abloh’s success on a global stage was watched closely in his hometown, where the fashion icon’s achievements served as inspiration for aspiring and up-and-coming designers looking to make their imprint here.
Abloh, a 41-year-old Rockford native who became one of the world’s most influential designers, died Sunday after a private two-year battle with an aggressive form of cancer, according to a statement on Instagram.
“He was a strong inspiration due to the fact he made it to a level many of us could only dream of growing up,” said O.D. Patton III, a designer who owns Danetrik’s in downtown Rockford with his wife, Faith. “For me, he gave me the drive to know reaching success from our city can be done. Once I see it done once, I get the confidence to know I can do it.”
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Abloh, who was born in Rockford to to Ghanaian immigrants, opened doors for Black designers to reach the pinnacle of the traditional luxury fashion industry, said Kelvin Candie, a Rockford artist and designer who has his own brand, The High and Mighty.
“The world has lost a true icon,” said Candie, a 36-year-old native of Malawi. “I’m at a loss of words. It feels unreal.”
Candie said Abloh gave a lot of people hope that it’s possible to reach the heights he has.
“He has influenced a generation of people … he’s a person that is larger than life in a way,” Candie said. “He has affected everything from fashion, art, music.”
Abloh was the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s men’s wear and the founder of the high-end streetwear brand Off-White. He also worked with major brands such as Nike, where he reimagined some of their best-selling shoes into new, highly-coveted designs.
“Abloh transformed not just what consumers wanted to wear, bridging streetwear and the luxury world, but what brands wanted in a designer,” the New York Times wrote in his obituary. Praise for Abloh on Instagram was written in multiple languages, a sign of his global influence.
Jawan Loupe, co-owner of OTHXR, a streetwear design and clothing company in Rockford, said Abloh was one of the greatest to ever do it in the fashion and streetwear industry.
“He ventured off to multiple different avenues in the space and opened many doors,” Loupe said.
Loupe said he didn’t know Abloh was from Rockford until the latter half of his career.
“That took my breathe away once I came across that information. To think that a man from my hometown was capable of what he has accomplished only opened our eyes and pushed us to start our own streetwear clothing,” he said. “He’s influenced millions of people to go after their dreams, including us.”
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Loupe said he is “grateful to have experienced (Abloh’s) come up and accomplishments. Our condolences and prayers go out to his family. May he rest in peace.”
Abloh is survived by his wife, Shannon, his children Lowe and Grey, his sister Edwina and his parents Nee and Eunice Abloh of Rockford.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.
