By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Standing in front of the illuminated Coronado Performing Arts Center marquee that reads “forever in your hometown’s heart,” Mayor Tom McNamara on Wednesday declared it to be Virgil Abloh Day in the city of Rockford.
The honor was bestowed on the late fashion icon for both his impact here and across the globe. Abloh, a Rockford native who became one of the world’s most influential designers, died Sunday at the age of 41 after a private two-year battle with cancer.
“Every person you talk to, they’re just in awe of not just the designs and things of that nature that is really awe-inspiring,” McNamara said. “They’re really in awe of just the humanity and kindness that he lived everyday life with, and he never forgot where he came from and always gave back.”
Related: ‘The world has lost a true icon’: Rockford designers say Virgil Abloh was an inspiration
McNamara made the declaration during a ceremony with state Rep. Maurice West II and Amy Ott, president of Boylan Catholic High School, Abloh’s alma mater.
He said when Abloh’s family is ready the city will hold another event to honor him on a larger scale. But for today he wanted to create a place where people who were inspired by Abloh could “drive by today, they could say a quick prayer” or “think about the impact that Virgil has had on Rockford and that they have received from seeing the success and the humanity that Virgil has shown to all of us.”
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West said Abloh’s rise from working as an intern in 2009 to being named the first Black creative director for Louis Vuitton, one of the most powerful luxury fashion businesses in the world, by 2018 should serve as an inspiration for young people.
“From an intern to a legend within 10 years,” he said. “Don’t despise your small beginnings, Virgil did not.”
Abloh had also worked as the creative director for rapper Kayne West before founding his own company, Off-White, a groundbreaking brand that blended luxury and streetwear. In 2018, he was named one of Time’s 100 most influential people in the world.
“Our community has been in constant awe of what Virgil has accomplished and the countless ways in which he has pushed boundaries and broken down barriers,” Ott said.
Even after Abloh found global success, he continued to give back to his school and community. In 2018, in advance of his collaboration with Nike for the World Cup, he gifted Boylan soccer players with uniforms. Abloh, who was a soccer player and 1998 graduate of Boylan, then allowed students from the school to be the first to test out the NikeLab he designed as a creative space in Chicago a year later. He was honored with the school’s Alumni Excellence Award in 2019.
In announcing his death, Abloh’s family shared a common phrase he used for inspiration.
“He often said, ‘Everything I do is for the 17-year-old version of myself,’ believing deeply in the power of art to inspire future generations,” a statement on his Instagram page read.
“We hope he knows the influence he has had on hundreds of other 17-year-olds who have followed in his steps at Boylan and beyond,” Ott said.
Winnebago County Board Chairman Joe Chiarelli recalled Abloh playing around his tailor shop in the early 1990s. Abloh frequented the shop as a child because his mother, Eunice, worked for Chiarelli as a seamstress at Vince the Tailor for several years.
Chiarelli said he has wonderful memories of Abloh pretending to sew and design on his machines, not knowing at the time he would grow up to become one of the most inspiration figures in fashion worldwide.
“Virgil will be remembered for his kindness, courage and creativity not only in Rockford and Winnebago County, but across the globe,” Chiarelli said in a statement.
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.