Virgil Abloh creates $1 million scholarship fund for Black creatives
The Chicago-native said that he hopes to start by putting '100 kids, Black kids, through a wide spectrum of educational institutions'
The Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund has been initially endowed with $1 million through contributions by Evian, Abloh’s partners at Louis Vuitton, and New Guards Group-a fashion conglomerate of which his brand, Off-White, is a member. Abloh has also contributed his own money.
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According to Vogue, Abloh’s fund will be operated in partnership with the Fashion Scholarship Fund which has created opportunities for young fashion creatives since 1937.
The Chicago-native said that he hopes to start by putting “100 kids, Black kids, through a wide spectrum of educational institutions.”
He has said that he hopes the fund will create a stream of trained Black creatives for the fashion and design industry.
“A benefit of this uprising is that we are paying attention to systemic problems … we can’t move on.” Abloh said, “It’s time for us not to make this industry about fashion, but about people … And I’ve been pouring that into my own work. I’m looking at this as a call to action for me to take on more challenges that don’t only end up on the runway, but that end up changing people’s lives.”
Abloh is the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s men’s wear collection. He is also the chief executive officer of his own luxury brand, Off-White.
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Trained as an architect, Abloh began his career with a collaboration with Kanye West. He ultimately broke from West, founding his own label. At the beginning of the pandemic, Abloh courted controversy when he made a $50 contribution to a Miami-based art collective that was raising money to bail protesters out of jail. The contribution caused a backlash, especially because Abloh had previously denounced the looting of businesses.
In a subsequent Instagram post that has since been deleted, Abloh has stated that he had donated more than $20,000 to bail programs and that he would continue to use his voice and urge his peers to do the same.
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