Spaceship Earth was the title of Off-White’s posthumous show for Virgil Abloh. The collection was designed by Abloh before his death last November and was completed by the creative teams he worked with. It serves as a manifesto for his democratic and inclusive fashion revolution, a groundbreaking debut of “high fashion” that reworked the establishment’s most sacred symbols and executed in a way only Abloh could.
Throughout his career, Abloh’s creativity has been evident in his eclectic approach to design. In his last collection, Abloh also debuted high fashion at Off-White, with about thirty intertwined looks towards the end of the show.
High fashion at Off-White
First up was Bella Hadid in a deconstructed puff sleeve dress paired with trainers, followed by a slew of supermodels including Cindy Crawford in a tiered muslin skirt, Naomi Campbell with an embellished chandelier necklace and tuxedo coat, Helen Christensen in a yellow beaded dress that flared into a white scalloped hem, and Amber Valetta in a pastel and gold beaded slip dress with a never-ending train.
Ready-to-wear featured the infamous quote-embellished separates like “Little Black Dress” and an evening jacket with “Smoking” sewn onto the back. At Abloh, the contents were often as stated on the packaging. A cropped yellow shearling jacket and puffer coats stood alone, as did an abundance of oversized faux fur, the latter worn primarily by men.
There were a variety of Abloh statements in the way he elevated streetwear, such as a printed mini with a kangaroo pocket, a yellow and navy checkered blazer with a Swiss cheese appliqué, and giant paperclip earrings.
Celebrity farewell
Musician Pharrell Williams opened the show with excerpts from a pre-recorded interview. A high proportion of celebrities came to pay tribute to Abloh’s latest work – from executives of luxury conglomerate LVMH and Italian fashion company New Guards Group to Rihanna, and fashion designers such as Jonathan Anderson, Olivier Rousteing and Guram Gvasalia.
Unlike Bottega Veneta, where the former creative director left in November, Off-White has yet to name a successor. It won’t be easy to follow in Virgil Abloh’s footsteps.
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.uk.