New Guard co-founders, Davide De Giglio and Andrea Grilli, whose company oversees Off-White and other fashion brands, also shared their grief over Virgil’s death.
“Virgil is a genius, a visionary but most of all he is a family,” their joint statement read on Off-White’s Instagram page. “There are no words to describe the loss his passing left in our lives. His legend, love and spirit will stay with us forever. Thank you. changed our lives, Virgil. Rest in power, brother.”
Virgil founded Off-White, an Italian high-fashion label that has become a fan favorite among celebrities and influencers, in 2012. A year later, Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) hired him as its creative partner. The two are longtime collaborators and even interned at Fendi together in 2009.
“We are all children of Kanye who went before,” said Virgil W in 2017. “This generation wouldn’t have had the freedom to cross genres if he didn’t have a passion for finding more than what was assigned to him.”
Follow New York Times. Moreover, he is also one of the few Black designers working for a major French fashion house.
“I feel elated,” he told the outlet at the time. “This opportunity to think about the next chapter of design and what luxury will mean for a brand that represents the pinnacle of luxury has always been the goal in the wildest of dreams. And to show a younger generation that no one else can do this position must look is a great modern spirit to start with.”
He added, “I wanted to use Louis Vuitton’s history with travel to really look at different cultures around the world in order to make it visible to all of our humanity. Creativity combined with global issues, I believe you can bring the whole world together. Fashion on this level can really open the eyes.”
