While Kanye West has made a name for himself in the fashion world with his Yeezy brand, the multi-billionaire may be transitioning into a more significant role. The rapper is rumored to take over the late Virgil Abloh’s position as creative director with Louis Vuitton.
According to the Sun, West, 44, who was close friends with Abloh, is being considered for the position following the former creative director’s surprising death from cancer last month.
Before Abloh’s death, the two supposedly orchestrated the move, centering West at the heart of the fashion industry.
As Sis2Sis previously reported, Abloh, 41, passed away on Nov. 28 after succumbing to a two-year battle with a rare form of cancer called cardiac angiosarcoma. While he was the first Black creative director for the luxury brand, Michael Burke, Chairman, and CEO of the French fashion house, honored the designer’s “wishes” by displaying his last collection at the fashion show in Miami on Nov. 30.
“In this same spirit, we at Louis Vuitton will proudly continue to celebrate his legacy with a final show in Miami, per his wishes. I am honored to have called him my friend, said Burke in an Instagram post. My deepest thoughts are with his wife, children, parents, family, and the entire community that was touched by his greatness.”
Aside from their close friendship, Abloh also served as a longstanding collaborator of the “Praise God” rapper and creative director for his agency Donda. The former designer also art-directed the covers for West’s albums “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” and “Yeezus.”
“Kanye is devastated about Virgil’s death because they had been friends for years and worked together a lot,” a source close to West said. “They shared a similar vision, and now Kanye feels he owes it to Virgil to continue his work at Louis Vuitton.”
The Chicago native has designed pieces for the firm in the past, thanks to his friendship with Abloh, The Sun reported.
