Virgil Abloh: Fashion feels 'useless'
Virgil Abloh says fashion feels "useless" at the moment amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
Virgil Abloh says fashion feels "useless" at the moment.
The creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear and the founder of Off-White admits he is "inspired" by the fact fashion could "mean something different" following the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking to Vogue magazine for their Postcards from Home series, he said: "I'm inspired by the fact that fashion can mean something different out of the end of this. It doesn't feel like it did a year ago. Today it seems useless, in a way: a new handbag, a pair of shoes. Getting groceries seems more important than buying a new garment that I already have 30 of in a closet. I don't think of that as a bad thing."
And the 39-year-old fashion designer is "trying to find some solitude" whilst he remains in isolation and has turned to meditation.
He added: "I'm also trying to find some solitude. You hear about these things: wellness, wellbeing. Meditating - that's something I need to learn. I'm relishing the idea of not having to do something all the time, but that's a trait I have to learn. I'm not wired that way."
Meanwhile, Virgil previously admitted he is being more productive than ever during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said: "We need to show our resilience. This is the time to prove our industry is a valuable one. Not for a second will I cancel, or pause, or take time off the calendar ... Everything on my end will proceed. I'm finding ways to work harder, more efficient. I've started another collection on top of the collection I was working on for June because I have more time.
"We're at a position now where I think we can realign ourselves with listening to the consumer first and responding, instead of the previous model, which was sort of talking down [to the customer. It's critical that we as designers and institutions and brands realign ourselves with the voice of the people today. That means what we traditionally know as a fashion image or an image to market or a video or a glimpse, I think can get more heartfelt. I think it can reflect the real public and humanity in a more seamless way rather than a projected idea of what a fashion image is or a marketing image is or a campaign is."
