Say hello to Issue 55 of 10 Men Magazine – Future, Balance, Healing – hitting newsstands this Friday, March 25. Like our new issue of 10 Magazine, this edition of 10 Men explores the ways people have managed to find healing amidst the mentally, physically and emotionally challenging moments of the past two years. When it came to escaping reality, Virgil Abloh was an auteur of fashion at its most fantastical. With boyish charm, he designed without limits. His collections had transformative qualities, dressing a world that was much brighter with him in it. In a tribute to the late creative visionary, who tragically died last November after a silent battle with cancer, we dedicate this issue to Abloh with a technicoloured tale of the final Louis Vuitton collection he completed before passing. Here, our Editrix-in-Chief, Sophia Neophitou, explains more:
‘VIRGIL WAS HERE’
“Sunday November 28, 2021 is a day that will remain imprinted forever as one of shock and disbelief as our newsfeeds shared the terrible loss of one of the most trailblazing, barrier-breaking designers of our time: Virgil Abloh. His meteoric rise and unquestionable success at the helm of Louis Vuitton, one of the most traditional, luxury French houses, proved that, with faith and determination, he had singlehandedly changed forever what was possible in fashion, which was ultimately everything!
“His uncompromising vision and awareness of what the possibilities were for the brand and its customers, and the direction he took as a designer, were enlightened.
“His mission was to open doors and create equality, ensuring a world in the future that looked different from the past. Abloh believed we could change the world by liberating ourselves from the prejudices that society inflicts on us. He believed this liberation could be reborn in us by connecting to our inner child and reconnecting to the open-mindedness we are all born with. His optimism made possible so much change. His positivity was instrumental in the huge, boundless success across all his career choices, in life, in design, in music. This fearless attitude of making his own rules was at the core of every decision made. Abloh once said, in an interview with the brilliant Anders Christian Madsen, who was a confidante, friend, collaborator and constant communicator of messaging for all his shows, that “being a black designer in this space”, which historically had not yet welcomed those that looked like him, “offered this unique insight and almost intrinsic connection to other marginalised groups.”
“He truly felt it was vital to portray the world to us as it really is now more than ever. What was most liberating and fascinating about Abloh was that he was a modern Renaissance Man. He never wanted to be pigeonholed as a creative only capable of one discipline, with only one string to his creative bow. He was capable of so many things, each as brilliantly accomplished as the next and all feeding and growing like the different branches of a great tree laden with beautiful fruit. Abloh was awe-inspiring and was taken far too soon but, in his short time with us, left such a huge legacy of hope. With fearlessness and bravery, he showed us that dreams can became reality. A year ago, he asked Madsen to listen to the words of the Sun Ra song “I’ll Wait for You”. It expressed beliefs of his that now resonate for us all when we think of him: “Where human feet have never trod, where human eyes have never seen, I’ll build a world of abstract dreams, and wait for you.” He had the vision to present the dream and we were invited to come along and be part of that journey.
“It’s so sad that we won’t have the pleasure of a million new ideas that grew with every collection but Abloh has left a legacy that will exist beyond our own lifetimes. This is a moment that will always belong to him and his vision because he has paved the way for permanent change. That change can only grow stronger and I am ever-thankful for all he leaves in our hearts and minds and in the way he has inspired all those who will come after him. The hope shines in our hearts because Abloh made those choices and led those changes. How blessed and lucky we are to have been part of his spectacular journey.”
Issue 55 of 10 Men – FUTURE, BALANCE, HEALING – is on newsstands March 25. Pre-order your copy here.
LOUIS VUITTON: VIRGIL WAS HERE
Photographer JENNY BROUGH
Fashion Editor JEAN-PHILIPPE PHINE N’DJOLI
Text ANDERS CHRISTIAN MADSEN
Hair PAL BERDAHL using Dyson Hair
Make-up ATHENA PAGINTON at Future Rep using Fenty Skin and KVD Beauty
Models ETHAN PAYNE at IMG, MOHAMED HASSAN at The Troopers,
WANG XIANGGUO at Storm Management, GOI MANASE at PRM Agency
Nail Technician EDYTA BETKA at Of Substance using CND
Set Designer SEAN THOMSON at Magnet
Photographer’s assistant DARREN TSANG
Lighting assistants ADAM ROBERTS and JOSHUA HIPPOLYTE
Fashion assistants FRANKIE REFFELL and FARAI BRODERSEN
Hair assistant MYUJI SATO
Retouching EURSA MAJOR
Digital Operator HO HAI TRAN
Casting CHLOE ROSOLEK at CDR Casting
