Paris Fashion Week: Louis Vuitton shows Virgil Abloh’s last collection

This week, designers and brands including Louis Vuitton, Issey Miyake and Uniforme have been displaying their autumn/winter menswear collections at Paris Fashion Week.

On Thursday, Louis Vuitton dedicated its tear-stained catwalk show to the late Virgil Abloh’s last collection.

Abloh, who was the artistic director for the French fashion house, as well as the founder of the Off-White fashion label, died from cancer in November at the age of 41.

His posthumous final menswear show was built around an elaborate “Dreamhouse” concept with angels, breakdancing models and a disregard for gender in the designs.

“I don’t believe in gender, I believe in design,” Abloh was quoted as saying in the show notes.

Ahead of the show, Dior designer Kim Jones, who Abloh replaced at the helm of Louis Vuitton in 2018, paid tribute. “It’s going to be very emotional,” Jones said.

“[Virgil and I] travelled the world together. I feel very lucky to have known him. It’s such a waste to think what he would have done.

“He planned everything so perfectly up to the last minute. You have to commend him, he was so brave in it.”

For the finale, when the designer would traditionally take a bow, his team emerged instead, receiving a standing ovation and rapturous applause.

Here are a selection of images of his final collection.

Abloh rose to prominence as Kanye West’s creative director before making history as the first African-American to lead Louis Vuitton – mixing luxury clothing with streetwear.

Following his death last year, Louis Vuitton’s parent company LVMH described him as a “genius” and a “visionary”.

Next week, 200 pairs of special trainers created by Abloh in collaboration with Nike will go under the hammer at Sotheby’s in New York.

The money raised will go to his scholarship fund, helping students of black, African-American and African descent.

The starting bid for the Air Force One trainers will be $2,000 (£1,465).