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Virgil Abloh’s artistic genius takes over Miami Marine Stadium

Virgil Abloh stands on the runway during the Off-White Fall/Winter 2021/2022 show on July 4, 2021 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pierre Suu/Getty Images)

MIAMI – Virgil Abloh’s genius took over the enclosed area of Miami’s marine stadium on Tuesday night in Virginia Key.

All of Louis Vuitton’s guests arrived from Biscayne Bay in boats. Ye, better known as Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Joe Jonas, and Erykah Badu were among the celebrities in attendance.

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The lights turned off. Relaxing music played under the calming tone of Abloh’s voice. The civil engineer and architect turned DJ and fashion designer left a recording with his wisdom.

“There is no limit. Life is so short that you can’t waste even a day subscribing to what someone thinks you can do versus knowing what you can do.”

Virgil Abloh performs onstage on April 27, 2019 in Virginia Beach City. (Photo by Brian Ach/Getty Images for Something in the Water)

A rainbow was glowing over the stadium. The Louis Vuitton Men’s Spring-Summer 2022 Fashion Show was the son of Ghanaian immigrants’ last. It was also the French fashion house’s first in the United States since it was founded in 1854.

The LV monogram was on temporary walls outside of the former Miami graffiti “penit.” On the gray runway, the models wore sneakers, and elements of pop art interacted with hip-hop culture cohesively.

Virgil Abloh walks the runway during the Louis Vuitton Menswear Fall/Winter 2020-2021 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on Jan. 16, 2020 in Paris, France. (Photo by Kristy Sparow/Getty Images)

A turquoise coat was pleaded like an Irish man’s skirt. There were playful man purses in different sizes including some in blue and pink ombre. His audacious use of neon fabrics for tailored suits was in sharp contrast with crisp white jackets and black samurai-like pants.

At the end of the show, the father of two didn’t walk out to bow out in front of the large crowd — some of whom were also VIP guests of Art Basel Miami Beach.

Abloh died of cancer on Sunday in Chicago. He was diagnosed with cardiac angiosarcoma in 2019. He had been the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection since 2018 and he had founded his Off-White label in 2013.

The fire of a red hot air balloon was glowing and there were fireworks. As part of the LV tribute in Miami, drones deployed to the sky for a light show that included a short message in red: “Virgil was here.”

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