In an interview with Interview Magazine in December, Virgil Abloh revealed that his second Louis Vuitton Menswear collection would be an ode to Michael Jackson. “I can’t work in my studio without music,” he said. “I don’t like silence… My next Louis Vuitton collection is going to be based on Michael Jackson, and when I have Michael singing in the background, it’s a different type of shirt, it’s a different kind of boot, it’s a different fit of pants. Music is key.”
Yesterday, the Fall 2019 Louis Vuitton Menswear collection was set at the intersection of Ludlow and Rivington Streets in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. From the very beginning, the inspiration of Michael Jackson was apparent. The show opened to the song “Thriller” and closed with a rendition of “Wanna Be Startin Somethin.”
The collection poses as Jackson’s coming-of-age story, told through the clothes. Boyhood and teenage years were presented in Abloh’s signature streetwear looks that featured sweaters, printed apparel, bucket hats and faux leather jackets with colorful fur collars. Adulthood was presented via suits. There were even diamante-encrusted gloves.
Significant pieces in the collection were flags of different countries such as the United States, South Korea, Great Britain, Scotland and Ghana, stitched together on apparel and accessories. These showed how Jackson matured in front of the world and how everyone could relate to him. In a press release, Louis Vuitton said, “By destiny, and his advancing sense of identity, he became a culturally indefinable phenomenon: a universally relatable marvel: Every person on Earth could mirror themselves in him. Every child and adult cheered for him. Lightyears ahead of his time, the boy inspired a cultural revolution that still reverberates today. That boy once walked among us. Michael Jackson was here.”
Abloh continues to bring something new to the runway every time, despite having multiple collaborations, running Off-White and expanding his eponymous brand to include a jewelry line. As the year is just starting, we can’t wait to see what else he has in store for the fashion world. In the meantime, check out the Louis Vuitton Menswear show below.
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