Outside Off-White’s Em Pty Gallery in SoHo, fans paid their respects to a talent lost too soon.
On Monday, as the fashion world mourned the death of Virgil Abloh, fans of his work went to the SoHo outpost of his brand Off-White to pay their respects to a visionary artist who had opened doors for a new generation of creative thinkers. As a light flurry of snow fell, mourners scattered bouquets of red, pink, blue and white roses; lit prayer candles; spray-painted messages (“REST IN POWER 4EVER V.,” “LEGEND”); and placed signs inscribed with dedications to the transformative Black designer outside the store (called Em Pty Gallery), which was closed to shoppers. Mr. Abloh, the founder of Off-White and the artistic director of Louis Vuitton men’s wear, died on Sunday in Chicago at 41 after a private two-year battle with a rare cancer, just days before he was expected to show a new Vuitton collection in Miami. The news came as a shock to many of his collaborators, among them artists, musicians and designers. It also devastated admirers who saw in him a tremendous talent and an industry leader. For many aspiring fashion designers, Mr. Abloh was a role model, proof that a Black man could ascend to one of the highest seats in luxury without ever conforming to a traditional notion of what “luxury” should mean. Xander Evans,24, was visiting New York from Virginia when he stopped by the Off-White store to honor Mr. Abloh — the “ultimate designer,” in his words.
