Off-White (company)

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Off-White Operating S.r.l.
FormerlyPYREX VISION
Company typeSocietà a responsabilità limitata
IndustryFashion
Founded2013; 11 years ago (2013) in Milan, Italy
FounderVirgil Abloh
Headquarters
Milan
,
Italy
Number of locations
59 (as of 2024)[1]
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsClothing, shoes, accessories, branding
OwnerLVMH
Websitewww.off---white.com

Off-White (stylized as Off-White™ or OFF-WHITE c/o VIRGIL ABLOH) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded by American designer Virgil Abloh. The company was incorporated in Milan in 2013.[2][3]

History[edit]

The company was first founded as "PYREX VISION" by Virgil Abloh in the Italian city of Milan in 2012.[3] Abloh then rebranded the company as Off-White in 2013, which he described as "the grey area between black and white as the color off-white" to the fashion world.[4] It has shown collections at Paris Fashion Week shows, and is sold in boutiques in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Milan, London, and New York.[4]

In August 2019, José Neves, owner of Farfetch, purchased New Guards Group, the parent organization of Off-White, for US$675 million.[5]

Virgil Abloh founded Off-White in 2012.

In July 2021, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton announced it would be taking a 60% stake in Off-White, with founder Virgil Abloh, at the time the creative director of menswear for Louis Vuitton, retaining the remaining 40%.[6][7]

Abloh died on November 28, 2021, of cardiac angiosarcoma at the age of 41.[8] The diagnosis was not made public.[9]

Ib Kamara was appointed Art & Image Director for Off-White on April 30, 2022.[10]

LVMH owns the trademark for Off-White however the company is operated under license by Farfetch, an e-commerce platform owned by Coupang. The contract is set to expire in 2035 with an opportunity to renegotiate in 2026, but allegedly LVMH is considering buying back the license from Farfetch prior to 2026.[11]

Collaborations[edit]

Off-White has collaborated with brands and designers such as Nike, Levi, Rimowa, Jimmy Choo, Ikea, Moncler, Browns, Warby Parker, SSENSE, Sunglass Hut, Champion, Evian, Converse, Dr. Martens, Barneys New York, Umbro, Timberland, Takashi Murakami, Heron Preston, ASAP Rocky, Byredo, Boys Noize, Le Bon Marché, Chrome Hearts, Asspizza, A.C. Milan and Kerwin Frost.[12][13]

Off-White's collaboration with Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art

In Fall 2016, and Winter 2017, the company collaborated with Levi's main line, Made & Crafted, and released twelve pieces, six of which were unisex.[12]

In early 2017, the company collaborated with Nike and worked on a project named "The Ten", which is a sneaker collection featuring Air Jordans, Converse, Nike Air Max, Nike Air Force One, and Nike Blazers shoes.[14] The collaborations shoe line was divided into two categories, the "Revealing" and "Ghosting".[15][16] The Off-White and Nike designers had an updated take on Nineties-style shoes, with various patterns and different types of material such as plastic and tulle.[12]

In 2017, the company collaborated with Champion developing sixteen items of clothing, including tracksuits, hoodies, fleeces, and t-shirts.[12] In August 2017, the company also collaborated with ASAP Rocky with his label AWGE.[17] In 2018, the company partnered with Jimmy Choo to create a Summer/Spring collection inspired by Lady Diana, former Princess of Wales.[12]

In April 2018, the company collaborated with IKEA on furniture targeted towards millennials.[18] In Fall 2018 and Winter 2019, the company collaborated with Sunglass Hut on a unisex line of sunglasses called "For Your Eyes Only".[12] In March 2019, the company collaborated with SSENSE on a range of workout clothes.[19] On June 5, 2018, the company released its collaboration with Rimowa, a transparent suitcase in limited edition.[20] Following the success of the collaboration, a second collection including two RIMOWA x Off-White transparent suitcases (a white version and a black version) is launched in October 2018.[21]

In June 2019, the company collaborated with the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, to create a new "University Blue" color of the Nike Air Force One.[22]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Off-White Physical Retail".
  2. ^ "Off-White Corporate Information".
  3. ^ a b Payne, Teryn (January 31, 2018). "Virgil Abloh Is Fighting for Kids That Feel Marginalized by the Fashion Industry". Teen Vogue. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Yotka, Steff (March 28, 2018). "A Brief History of Virgil Abloh's Meteoric Rise". Vogue. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  5. ^ Fernandez, Chantal (August 8, 2019). "Why Farfetch Bought New Guards Group". Business of Fashion. Retrieved August 9, 2019.
  6. ^ Dalton, Matthew (July 20, 2021). "Virgil Abloh Sells Off-White to LVMH, Deepening Ties With Luxury Conglomerate". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  7. ^ Dalton, Matthew (March 26, 2018). "Louis Vuitton Appoints Virgil Abloh as New Creative Director". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  8. ^ Caitlin Hu and Eric Levenson. "Virgil Abloh, artistic director for Louis Vuitton and Off-White founder, dies of cancer at 41". CNN. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  9. ^ Dodds, Io (November 28, 2021). "Virgil Abloh Death: Influential Louis Vuitton Menswear Designer Dies at 41". The Independent.
  10. ^ "Off-White on Instagram". April 30, 2022.
  11. ^ Wendlandt, Astrid (November 5, 2023). "LVMH mulls buying back Off-White license from Farfetch". misstweed.com. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c d e f Salessy, Héloïse; Marain, Alexandre; Nield, Isabel (March 26, 2018). "Off-White: the 18 collabs that cemented Virgil Abloh's career". Vogue Paris. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  13. ^ "Here Are Virgil Abloh's 10 Best Collaborations Ever". Highsnobiety. August 31, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  14. ^ Welty, Matt (December 27, 2018). "Ranking All of the Off-White x Nike Sneakers, From Worst to Best". Complex. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  15. ^ "The Ten: Icons Reconstructed by Virgil Abloh is happening". nss magazine. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  16. ^ Gorsler, Fabian (July 26, 2018). "OFF-WHITE x Nike Sneakers: An Analysis of Resell Prices". Highsnobiety. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  17. ^ Li, Nicolaus (September 12, 2017). "Midnight Studios & AWGE Announce a Special Midnight Rave NYFW Pop-Up". Hypebeast. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  18. ^ Gibson, Eleanor (May 1, 2018). "IKEA offers first look at furniture designed for millennials by Virgil Abloh". Dezeen. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  19. ^ Hopkins, Mayzie (March 28, 2019). "Off-White x SSENSE Fitness Capsule". V Magazine. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  20. ^ "Rimowa Has Made a $1,000 See-Through Suitcase". Bloomberg. June 5, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  21. ^ "Exclusive: Rimowa and Off-White Are Releasing a New Luggage Collection". GQ. October 5, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  22. ^ "Virgil Abloh x MCA Chicago x Nike Air Force 1 '07 Official Imagery and Release Info". HYPEBEAST. June 5, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.

External links[edit]