We’ve been living in a post Steve Jobs world for almost 15 years now. Since then, there’ve been countless books, two feature films, hella
documentaries, and a bunch of people second-guessing Apple’s every move with the usual “Steve wouldn’t have done that.”
In comparison, Virgil Abloh passed less than four years ago, and as a hyperfan it’s felt way longer. It seemed like we all, in unison, started
asking, “Would Virgil have done that?”... especially with Off-White, which went from the coolest brand on earth to being sold by LVMH to
a licensing company. On V’s birthday, something I will never forgive Bernhard & gang for. Maybe that sale even shuttered Virgil’s dream of
building a long lasting fashion house.
Instagram feels a lot less interesting without his contextual posts and reshares in Stories. Louis Vuitton under Pharrell swung away from
streetwear into dandy, it’s still rap and still Black, but definitely less fun without Virgil at the helm. Without his constant self leaks, a million
projects a week, and all the other jazz, the media cycle feels duller. I’m lucky to know a few people who worked with Virgil or knew him
personally. Their stories help keep his legacy fresh for me.
All this brings me to Make It Ours, the new book by GOAT Pulitzer Prize winner Robin Givhan the first of two new books (the other written
by Anja Cronberg and Virgil himself). Like I said, I’m a hyperfan. I finished it within 48 hours on Audible, My only gripe. I didn’t learn much new
about Virgil… but that’s probably because he shared so much and I absorbed all of it.
Still, the book is excellent. It’s almost less about Virgil himself and more about using his resume as a case study for how and why streetwear
reshaped the entire fashion ecosystem. The research is beautiful, and it inspired me enough to sit down and write this.
Long live Virgil.