Virgil Abloh is widely known as the founder of Off-White and the artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear. He left a lasting impact on fashion. Beyond his clothing design work, DJing served as another discipline he deeply loved.
Starting in the 1990s, Abloh would DJ at house parties for friends while attending high school in Illinois. He grew up outside of Chicago. The local music scene heavily influenced his taste. He listened to early house music pioneers. The sounds of the city shaped his understanding of rhythm. He explored other creative paths over the years. He often described DJing as his escape. He saw the DJ booth as the one place where everything slowed down. In a 2016 interview with The Guardian, he explained his mindset. He said when his phone is off, he plays his favorite songs loud for himself. He mentioned he is not managing anything during those moments. The time allows him to listen to music. He noted he would be DJing after he finished designing or doing anything else.
By the late 2010s, Abloh returned more publicly to music after years of working in art direction. He provided art direction for artists including Kanye West, A$AP Rocky, and Jay-Z. He opened for Travis Scott on the Birds Eye View Tour in 2017. He blended hip-hop and rock in his sets. He later DJed at events including Tyler, the Creator and his Camp Flog Gnaw carnival. He also played sets at Astroworld Festival in Houston. People knew his DJ sets for an eclectic mix. He blended genres including hip-hop, house music, and pop. His track selections often reflected his own sense of style and his cultural perspective.
Abloh maintained a global touring schedule as a DJ under his own name and sometimes using his alias Flat White. He played sets at famous clubs globally. He performed at DC-10 in Ibiza for the CircoLoco parties. He brought his specific sound to Lollapalooza in Chicago. His Lollapalooza set drew massive crowds. The performance proved his ability to hold a main stage audience. He designed transparent CDJs in collaboration with Pioneer DJ. He wanted the equipment to look different from standard club gear. The design stripped away the solid plastic casing. The clear exterior exposed the inner workings of the machines. The design process allowed him to merge his industrial design background with his audio interests. The transparent decks became highly sought after by collectors and musicians globally.
Even while shaping fashion and creative direction at major houses, Abloh never stopped DJing. You observed his musical focus in how he brought live instrumentation into his runway shows. He hired Benji B as the music director for Louis Vuitton menswear. This decision ensured the runway soundtracks matched the visual aesthetic of the clothes. They worked together to curate live performances during Paris Fashion Week. He continued working with artists like Kid Cudi and Playboi Carti on their audio projects. Toward the end of his life, he launched Imaginary Radio. This project functioned as a series of DJ sessions meant to be a recurring platform for audio broadcasting. He invited various guests to contribute mixes. He also hosted Televised Radio on Apple Music. The show gave him a platform to interview musicians and play new tracks. The episodes recorded his evolving taste in contemporary sound.
No matter what lane Abloh occupied at any given time, he always came back to music. The music was never separate from his other work. The audio component formed a core part of his output. The career of Virgil Abloh reminds you to keep your earliest passions active. You should carry your initial interests with you throughout your professional life. You build a stronger career when you integrate all your skills into one cohesive vision. You see the results of this integration in the archives Abloh left behind. His extensive catalog of DJ mixes and runway soundtracks provides a clear record of his dedication to audio culture. You observe his influence every time a fashion house prioritizes original sound design. His approach changed expectations for runway shows permanently.
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