U-Virgil Abloh wenza i-parade edlalayo ne-zany egcwele umuzwa onjengowengane wokumangala ngefomethi yakhe yokuqala ehlanganisiwe.
U-Virgil Abloh wethula isitobhi sokuqala sohambo lwakhe olungokoqobo nolwangempela lweqoqo lakhe le-#LouisVuitton emhlabeni jikelele. Kusukela emzini wokhokho we-Maison ngaphandle kwaseParis, ithimba elimibalabala labalingiswa abapopayi lihambe lizigaxa ezitsheni zokuthutha zeqoqo laze lafika ezikhumulweni zemikhumbi zase-Shanghai.
"Empeleni, kufana nokubhala phansi mina neqembu labangane bami," kusho uVirgil Abloh ocingweni oluvela eChicago izolo, ngaphambi kombukiso wabesilisa uLouis Vuitton obusethekwini eShanghai namuhla.
U-Abloh ubexoxa ngezinqubo zokucabanga ezinemicu eminingi ezilukwe ezintweni ezibonakalayo nasezifanekisweni, kanye nabahlanganyeli-abaNsundu bonke—abalingiswa, abaculi, kanye nombhali wesitayela u-Ibrahim Kamara—abalethe ngesikhathi sokuvalelwa yedwa, impendulo yakhe kulokho akuchaza ngokuthi “lezi zinxushunxushu. izikhathi… kulo nyaka wokubala.”
Umbukiso we-Louis Vuitton Men's Spring-Summer 2021 e-Shanghai
Umcimbi ubuyisimangaliso “sokuhlangenwe nakho” kwakudala okujwayelekile, obubanjelwe phambi kwezivakashi zasendaweni ebezihleli emigqeni njengoba nje izethameli bezijwayele ukwenza ngaphambi kuka-Ephreli, zingagqokile imaski. Amamodeli ayenziwe futhi endaweni. “Imibuthano iphephile laphaya,” esho. Nokho akekho umqondisi wezobuciko, manje osesekhaya eMelika, nanoma ngubani ovela endlunkulu yakwa-LV eParis owayeke waya eChina.
Izingubo kuphela zawela amazwekazi. Kulapho u-Abloh aqala khona indaba, eyaqala phakathi kopopayi i-Zoooom With Friends, ividiyo egcwele opopayi bezilwane “abahamba ngezinyawo” ababegxumele ku-L.V. iziqukathi zokuthutha. Bagcine ukubonakala ngoJulayi, bentanta esikebheni ngase-Seine ekupheleni kwephrojekthi ye-YouTube edume kakhulu ayeyinike umqondisi wezithombe ezinyakazayo u-Reggie Know e-L.A.
Namuhla isikebhe sase simile, futhi amamodeli asakazwa bukhoma ehamba esuka ezitsheni zangempela ezipakishwe ethekwini lase-Shanghai, kanye nephontoon exhunyiwe entanta emfuleni. "Emasontweni amathathu noma amane edlule, mina no-Ibrahim Kamara sabhala futhi sapakisha yonke into eParis sayithumela njengoba ubona." Bekunombukiso wokuvula wamadoda agqoke amaovaroli aluhlaza kanye nezifihla-buso ezihambisana nebhandena eziphethe amafu aphakeme nama-seagull.
Inani eliphakeme lempahla ye-L.V. izidalwa zopopayi zazihlala phezu kweziqukathi zasolwandle ezinopende obomvu.
Laqhubeka kanjalo-ke iqoqo elizungeza ngendlela ehlelekile ukuze liphinde liqinisekise umoya wakho konke u-Abloh akwenzile endlini kusukela entwasahlobo ka-2019—eqala ngezingubo zesimanjemanje futhi egcina ngokuthunga okuphukile kanye nesibhakabhaka esiluhlaza esifana ne-Magritte kanye nokuphrintwa kwefu kusukela ekwindla edlule— kodwa wabe eseyiqhubela phambili kulokho akuchaza njengokuthi “hypnovisualism”: ukuqinisekiswa komcabango wabaMnyama.
Incazelo yaleyo nkululeko engokwengqondo yavezwa embukisweni wakhe iyaphawula: “Izwe elimangalisayo lokuhlanganisa wonke umuntu nobunye, libona ngeso lengqondo umhlaba ngombono ongangcolisiwe wengane, ongakabonakaliswa izinhlelo zomphakathi.” Ekujuleni kwentukuthelo ngokubulawa kuka-George Floyd, ushintsho u-Abloh amile ngemuva luhambisana ne-Sun Ra's Afrofuturism, amandla “okucabanga umhlaba ohlukile”—ayenziwe ngobuhlakani obuthathu bezibuko zelanga ezenziwe ngamafreyimu angafani, futhi asesimweni. yesithonjana sembali ekhishwe ku-LV yakudala phrinta.
Emcabangweni ka-Abloh, ukuqhubeka kwahlangana nefa lakhe laseGhanian, kanye nokucabanga ngomsebenzi wakhe wokuba ngubaba omnyama. “Nginezingane okufanele ziphile ngokuhlanganyela kwethu,” kusho yena. "Futhi ngokusobala, angifuni ukuthi babhekane nezinkinga okuye kwadingeka sibhekane nazo." Isithombe sikapopayi esigxiliziwe, ebesigcwele ukwenziwa—sivela ku-3D, sinamathiselwe kumajakhethi anombala oyinhloko, nokulunguza ezikhwameni—kuyi-trope esukela osukwini lapho aphuma khona “ethengela izingane zami izipho. .”
Phezulu kwezinhlamvu zamagama zonyaka azithumelayo kwavela amazwi ahlabayo atshela abazali bakhe. “U-Abloh, u-Eunice: umama kaVirgil Abloh, wakhulela enkabeni ye-Accra, eGhana. Ngemva kokuhlangana noNee Abloh, wamjoyina e-Rockford, e-Illinois, ngo-1973, lapho asebenza khona njengomthungi. U-Eunice wafundisa indodana yakhe ukusebenzisa umshini wokuthunga, ukusebenza kanzima nokuhlala nobubele.”
“U-Abloh, Nee: ubaba kaVirgil Abloh, wakhulela edolobheni elisogwini iTema, eGhana, futhi wasebenza ezikhumulweni zemikhumbi zase-Accra ethula iziqukathi zemikhumbi.”
Echoes ngaphakathi kwe-echoes! Akuyona yonke into ehlala ibonakala phezu kwalokho okwenziwa u-Abloh, kodwa leyo yindlela anayo: “I-Nuance umdlalo wami. Izwi lami liyinqwaba yezendlalelo nezinkomba." Ngokuqhubekayo eqoqweni, wacabanga ngokuhlangana kwe-ska Jamaican kanye nomculo wethoni wethoni waseBrithani wezinhlanga ezimbili zama-'70s kanye nama-'80s-ngakho-ke amaphrinti ebhodi okuhlola amnyama namhlophe, abese enza i-smart Vuitton segue ku-Damier. amasudi nezicathulo ezi-slip-on. Kwakukhona ihembe elinemithende elinemibala eluhlaza, ephuzi, nebomvu yefulegi lamaRasta; ukuthunga amahlombe abanzi okwakhiwe ngokuhlonipha uyise. "Ngiyacabanga, ngingowaseGhana - uyenza kanjani isudi yase-Afrika?"
Kwakukhona okwengeziwe. Eminye yemibhalo ehambisana nalesi sihloko efike nohlelo ibizwe ngokuthi “I-Upcycling Ideology,” ibeka incazelo ngemuva kwephaseji lokuvula elibukeka lijwayelekile. Ezinye izingcezu, kuyavela, zazenziwe ngendwangu egayiwe kabusha. Eminye “yaphakanyiswa emibonweni egaywe kabusha” noma “izibuyekezo zesizini edlule.” Ukumiswa kokuvalelwa yedwa kunikeze u-Abloh “isikhathi sokungabaza isimo semfashini. Kwadingeka ngicabange kakhulu ngobudlelwane bomuntu emhlabeni. Nginqume ukuthi kuningi okubekwe 'kokusha' kwemfashini. Ngitshela umthengi wami ukuthi inani aliwohloki ngokuhamba kwesikhathi. "
Uma kwakukhona umgomo omkhulu, ngokuqinisekile kwakuyincazelo yezindinganiso-esikweni, kulokho okubalulekile mayelana nendlela umuntu enza ngayo esikhundleni sobuholi emphakathini. Maphakathi nombukiso, kwavela isikrini eceleni kwesitsha sokuveza umdlalo oqoshwe uLauryn Hill, ukuketula umbuso okungandile okusekelwe, njengoba u-Abloh ememezele esiphethweni sevidiyo, ngokubambisana ne-MLH Foundation, "ukuze kuzuze Black. amabhizinisi athintwe yi-COVID-19 nobunye ubunzima.”
Lokhu kuhlangene ngani nokubukiswa kwemfashini ewubukhazikhazi? KuVirgil Abloh, isikhathi sesifikile lapho ukusebenzisa amandla enkundla yakhe kukweqa lokho. "Imfashini ibanjelwe ukwenza okuthile manje okungeyona nje imidwebo yezingubo," ephetha ocingweni lwakhe lwaseChicago. "Kunomthwalo wemfanelo wokukhombisa indlela eya phambili."
Iqondiswe ngu @virgilabloh
Umqondisi Wopopayi: Reggie Know (@fashionfigureinc)
Musical score by The SA-RA Creative Partners™️ @saracreativepartnersinfo (@tazarnold, @shafiqhusayn & @ommaskeith)
Kufakwe no-: Gary Bartz @bartzoyo
Iziqondiso Zomculo zika-@_benjib & @virgilabloh
Izwi lidlulile : @tierrawhack & @buddy