Anand Bhushan, Designer
The success of this visionary artist was in defining what luxury meant in this day and age. They took a page from existing couture atelier formats and blended it with popular streetwear culture and introduced it to the world. His designs were innovative, current and relevant. My personal favorite was dressing up Serena Williams with the Nike collab—it set new standards of design. Being an architect, I liked his versions for Ikea; He took his designs to new places that I loved. Plus, sex harnesses for men on the red carpet at Timothée Chalamet [2019 Golden Globes], This was a new beginning for men’s apparel.
Namrata Joshipura, Designer
Virgil Abloh’s passing is a sad loss; So small, and so much remains to be done. Much has been said about how he elevated streetwear, but the ‘disruption’ he created was so much more – after all, he considered himself a ‘maker’, not a designer. [Two designs I liked are] Off-White x Air Jordan 2 and Jordan ‘AJ2’.
Read also | Thanks, Virgil Abloho
David Abraham, designer
Virgil Abloh was instrumental in the revolution that is destabilizing the established hierarchies of the fashion world. His work existed at the intersections of the digital and physical worlds, crossing the boundaries between race, gender and class. Bringing together the luxury and the street, he blends his creativity with amazing branding and marketing.
Atul Kasbekar, Photographer
To be honest, I have been quite impressed by the diversity of Abloh’s work. From being among the first names in streetwear [designing] From water bottles to furniture – there’s no question about her place right off the top in the pantheon of creative geniuses. Off white collabs with Nike are a game changer.
Read also | Virgil Abloh: Leader by Example
Akanksha Sharma, Designer, Ikea
He had a very contemporary way of working. He exemplifies the possibilities of cross discipline, whether it’s designing furniture for Ikea or DJing at Coachella. Being his many meters deep student he made reference things in his own signature way, further shaping the visual culture. He was absolutely fearless about crossing boundaries and looked at everything from a persistent meta level, recognizing what exists and moving them forward in a larger collective effort.
Arnav Malhotra, Designer, No Gray Area
He envisioned democratizing fashion and making it inclusive by using wit and irony to reinterpret everyday items that made it belong to all (like the stripes of off-white inspired by the zebra crosswalk). He believed that something as simple as a T-shirt could one day be high fashion.
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