Virgil Abloh’s legacy was highlighted during a recent industry panel. According to WWD, fashion executives convened at the Fairchild Media Group Diversity Forum on an unannounced day last week, where Black industry leaders conducted a debate on Abloh’s work and the impact he had in the world of fashion and beyond. The discussion featured Olivier Rousteing, Brandice Daniel, and Victor Glemaud and was titled “Abloh and Beyond: What Black Leadership and Legacy Means for Fashion.”
“Virgil clearly opened the mentality of fashion in many ways,” Rousteing told the magazine. He was recently selected Jean Paul Gaultier’s next guest couturier after more than a decade as the creative director of Balmain.
He explained, “Not only with the idea of color, obviously, but the idea as well of bringing art to fashion and say[ing] that the artistic world, the art world is not a white world. And this, for me, was really important because I think sometimes, decades ago and still today, this world is so associated to one color and I think Virgil made it clear that the art world has no colors.”
Brandice Daniel, the founder and CEO of Harlem’s Fashion Row, spoke about how Abloh’s career has opened doors for her.
“There’s no lack of designers. We have a database of over 2,000 designers of color,” she stated. “So there’s no lack, there’s no lack of talent—I want to say that over and over again. They exist. And Virgil was proof of that. He was an untraditional talent. I think this industry, if you want to really open the doors, you have to consider untraditional talent.”
Victor Glemaud, a Haitian fashion designer, spoke on the future of the fashion business and how Black creatives might gain access and authority.
“There’s a whole slew, globally, of Black creatives that have the talent, that have the agency to create and build long-lasting brands and to go in-house and really reinvigorate existing brands. And that needs time, that needs commitment and that needs true partnership. It’s not something that happens in a season or in a year,” Glemaud explained. “It’s about the future, it’s about the new generation and it’s truly about the powers that be, the king and queens, the C-suite, people who control the money, understanding and investing the time and energy.”
Since Virgil Abloh’s death in November 2021, all of the communities where he left his imprint have offered messages honoring his accomplishments. The biggest personalities in Hip-Hop, fashion, and sports all had friendships with Abloh and were inspired by his style and ambition.
