Born in Rockford, Illinois in 1980 – Virgil Abloh was an architect, engineer, creative director, and designer. After earning a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Wisconsin Madison, he completed a Master´s degree in Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology. It was here that he learned not only about design principles but also about the concept of collaborative working. He studied a curriculum devised by Mies van der Rohe on a campus he had designed. Abloh soon took on the role as a creative director for Kanye West and West´s creative think tank "Donda“.
Throughout Virgil Abloh's career, his work has been awarded in the realm of art and design. Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh™ was first started in 2012 as an art project titled PYREX VISION. In 2013, Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh™ was introduced as a seasonal men's and women's fashion brand and additionally moved into the production of furniture designed by Virgil Abloh. In 2015, Off-White™ was nominated as one of the top eight finalists for the LVMH Prize in Paris. The year after in 2016 he was inducted into the BOF 500 "The People Shaping The Global Fashion Industry" List. In the same year of 2016, he was nominated for one of the top five nominees in the category of International Urban Luxury Brand at The British Fashion Awards. In the year 2017, Virgil Abloh was nominated as one of the top five nominees in the category of Swarovski Award for Emerging Talent at The CFDA Awards. Additionally, in 2017, Virgil Abloh was selected as a special guest to show his Spring Summer 2018 Men's OFF-WHITE c/o VIRGIL ABLOH™ Collection in Florence, Italy during Pitti Immagine Uomo 92.
