THE LOUIS VUITTON MEN'S SHOW TRIBUTES VIRGIL ABLOH

The Louis Vuitton men’s SS 2022 show, held at the Miami Marine Stadium, turned into a touching tribute in memory of the late Virgil Abloh, the luxury house's menswear creative director and one of the most influential designers of his generation. Abloh died prematurely of cancer on Sunday at age 41, shocking the entire industry. Before the show, Michael Burke, chairman and chief executive officer of Louis Vuitton, gave a heartfelt and emotional speech to a crowd of about 1,500 people, reminiscing on how he first met Abloh and on the days when the talented multi-hyphenated creative interned at Fendi, at a time when Burke was CEO. Burke also paid homage to Abloh on the Louis Vuitton website. “Virgil was not only a friend, great collaborator, creative genius, visionary and disruptor, but also one of the best cultural communicators of our times. He paved the way for future generations. As a devoted supporter of his community through his charities and passions, he was an eternal optimist who believed anything was possible. I am honored to have called him my friend,” he said. A star-studded crowd of Abloh’s many friends attended the afternoon show, including Kanye West, Kim Kardashian West, Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Bella Hadid, Pharrell Williams, Tahar Rahim, Nigo, Venus Williams, Joe Jonas, Ricky Martin, Jeremy Pope, 21 Savage and Joan Smalls. Among the most poignant moments were a red hot air balloon evocative of a beating heart, Abloh's voice played before the show and at the finale, narrating his inspiration for the season, and lights and fireworks lighting up the sky. The setting was framed by a towering statue of a rainbow-colored Abloh holding an LV case and gazing at the sky. On a final and emotional note, a drone show lit up the deep blue sky, spelling out the touching sentence “Virgil was here.” Abloh's unique genius, optimism, vision, humbleness, kindness and multi-pronged talent will be deeply missed but will live on through the unique legacy that he built over the years. We like to think that Virgil is still here.