A spotlight was placed on Virgil Abloh’s legacy during a recent industry panel. According to WWD, on an undisclosed date last week, fashion leaders gathered during the Fairchild Media Group Diversity Forum, and Black leaders in fashion led a discussion on Abloh’s work and the impact he made in the world of fashion and beyond. The panel was titled “Abloh and Beyond: What Black Leadership and Legacy Means for Fashion” and featured Olivier Rousteing, Brandice Daniel, and Victor Glemaud.
“Virgil clearly opened the mentality of fashion in many ways,” shared Rousteing the outlet reported. He has worked as the creative director at Balmain for over a decade and was recently named Jean Paul Gaultier’s next guest couturier
“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,” he said. “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, also spoke to doors opened by Abloh’s career.
“There’s no lack of designers. We have a database of over 2,000 designers of color,” she said. “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.”
Haitian fashion designer Victor Glemaud shared more on the future of the fashion industry as it relates to Black creatives getting access and power.
“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,” explained Glemaud. “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 communities where he left his mark have continuously shared messages recognizing his achievements. From Hip-Hop to fashion to sports, the biggest names held friendships with Abloh and were inspired by his style and drive.