July 22, 2021: Announcing a definitive agreement on the significant expansion of the relationship between American designer Virgil Abloh and LVMH, the latter is set to become the majority investor in Off-White, Mr. Abloh’s brand. Owning 60% interest in the trademark following the acquisition, Mr. Abloh will retain a 40% interest and stay on as the creative director of his 2013-founded label.
©Bogdan Plokov
Appointed the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection in March 2018, Mr. Abloh will continue in that role while jointly pursuing new projects with LVMH. This controversial designer has skillfully combined his penchant for streetwear with the historical elegance of Louis Vuitton.
In addition to this acquisition, Mr. Abloh and LVMH have agreed to leverage the Group’s expertise to launch new brands and partner with existing ones in a variety of sectors beyond the realm of fashion.
Expressing his pleasure over this, Bernard Arnault, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LVMH spoke about how they are thrilled to expand their successful partnership with Mr. Abloh, and are looking forward to supporting him and the team in both driving the growth of Off-White and in working together with him to bring his unique sensibility to a broader range of luxury categories.
The Chairman and Chief Executive officer of Louis Vuitton, Michael Burke echoed Mr. Arnault’s words and talked about the lasting impression that Mr. Abloh has made on the House of Louis Vuitton, with a profoundly inclusive philosophy, creating a new contemporary men’s fashion language.
Born in Rockford, Illinois to Ghanaian immigrant parents and based in Chicago now, Mr. Abloh spoke about his vision for this partnership, on how he has built Off-White to be a brand designed to empower our generation and challenge the status quo. Combining that with the additional firepower and scale to accelerate that momentum by LVMH, Off-White can evolve into a truly multi-line luxury brand.
While the New Guards Group will remain an operating partner for Off-White through its licensing agreement with Off-White LLC, this investment transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to be completed within the next 60 days.