July 5, 2021 |
Off-White is firmly back in session. After 16 months of no physical shows, Virgil Abloh’s hunger to elevate the brand that put his name on the map in the first place felt palpable. Speaking to Vogue, the designer said: “If I were to look at my body of work, I think I’ve grown up the most in the shortest amount of time. I think it’s rebelling against the younger version of myself. And that’s the first time I’ve actually said that.”
Unofficially opening the Paris Haute Couture shows, which take place in the city across this week, Abloh presented his most polished and well-executed Off-White collection in recent memory. Dubbed Laboratory of Fun, the likes of Honey Dijon, Joan Smalls, Alton Mason and Bella Hadid led a larger crowd of Off-White familiar faces. The show came soundtracked by a performance by M.I.A., whose 2007 hit “Paper Planes” serenaded a chorus of generous smiles (and a dancing Abloh) at the end of the show.
The collection itself sees Abloh move further adrift from his streetwear beginnings. He’s conscious not to let Off-White fall stagnant, making sure his design team doesn’t rely on the tropes which launched the label to superstardom in the 2010s. Like Abloh, the Off-White customer is growing up, and the designer predicts his loyal clientele want to wear sculptural evening gowns, buttery leather trenches and louche suiting in burnt orange and lavander. The collection is available to shop straight away on Off-White’s website and is currently on its way to stores across the globe. Expect to see these pieces aligning the streets come June 19.
Photography courtesy of Off-White.
