On January 20, Virgil Abloh’s last fashion show was held at the Carreau du Temple in Paris after his death in 2021 at the age of 41. 

The fashion designer’s death came as a shock to the world, as most people had no idea he was privately battling cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare cancer for two years. 

The streetwear-turned-luxury clothing pieces were presented on a dream-like stage with a sunken home, with large white stairs and a giant dining table in the center. At the table, an orchestra sat serenading the audience with beautiful melodies composed by Tyler, the Creator. 

The lighting shining on the stage was very partial, making the scene almost dream-like as models would stroll around the stage, acrobats danced on the sunken home’s chimney and others lay on the floor in a baby position. At the same time, models carrying Abloh’s artistic creations would just continue walking around the stage with gentle, gazing expressions on their faces. 

The music, the stage, the performers and the models all fell into synchronization. But what the audience was captivated by the most were the pieces the late designer created before his passing. 

“I’ve been on this focus in terms of my art and creativity of getting adults to behave like children again;” said Abloh, “that they go back into this sense of wonderment. They start to stop using their mind and they start using their imagination.” 

Flip through the gallery below for a peek into the first loos, inspirations behind them, and entertainment throughout the start of the show.

Gallery • 27 Photos

As the show opened, the models came out one by one through a door shun with a yellow light from the inside. The first look was an all black outfit, which was unusual, since fashion shows are known to start with a white outfit and not a funeral-like piece.

The ending to the show came soon after that and all of the models started to take their places, the performers started concluding their performance, at times even dancing around on top of the giant dining table. Tyler continued to ride around in his bike and the models that stood still would look around the stage with a gentle gaze as if they were in a state of admiration or peace. 

As “See You Again,” came to an end, the lights had slowly been dimmed down, and everyone came into unison as they started conversing or hugging each other. Some were clapping at the models and the performers and the camera ended with an overhead shot of the scene from a corner. 

Being a first generation ghanian student, Abloh graduated with an architecture degree, which is completely unrelated to the fashion industry. 

But through an internship at Fendi, alongside Ye West, he soared through all barriers and became the first Black American to rise to the top of the global fashion industry. 

He inspired millions of people around the world with his eccentric and open ways of thinking, his genius way of reimagining and merging streetwear and high fashion to form this revolutionary movement in the fashion industry. He became the first black American to rise to the top of the global fashion industry. 

Even after his passing, Abloh has left many of his projects for the future. One of them being the “Postmodern foundation” Scholarship foundation for black students. This Scholarship helps black students trying to pursue a career in fashion gain the means and the resources to do so. 

Some of his Nike Air force 1’s have actually been put on auction in order to raise money to fund this foundation.