During Paris Fashion Week, Off-White™ presented a show entitled "Spaceship Earth: an Imaginary Experience," celebrating Virgil Abloh's enduring vision and values. Spaceship Earth is both a map and a means of transportation, a spaceship, a theater, and a portal to another world: a world entirely dedicated to the imagination. The show, held at the Palais Brongniart, was just one of several interdisciplinary expressions that embodied the brand's platform, "Imaginary," curated by Virgil Abloh. "Imaginary" is a means of reinterpreting, subverting, and transforming culture, proposing new dialogues and forms of the future.
The women's collection, "Seeing Red," explores the contrasts and subcultures of the '90s, highlighting provocative silhouettes with neutral, postmodern accents of blue, purple, and yellow, exploring the balance of florals, plaids, abstract and understated prints, and masculine elements. The result is a fresh aesthetic language that recaptures the modern party girl vibe, reflected in two new collaborative shoes: the Nike x Off-White™ Air Force 1 Mid and Church's. These two shoe styles are also featured in men's and high fashion looks.
"Skiwear" is also available in the men's collection, where skate-inspired, oversized shapes are minimally reimagined with technical details and three-layer performance textiles, resulting in modern tie-dye prints that were also incorporated into the runway looks.
The Fall/Winter men's collection, titled "Foreign Exchange," continues the brand's minimalist approach, evolving knitwear, tailoring, coats, and outerwear with the brand's unique sartorial codes. Revisiting traditional menswear constructions and materials, such as houndstooth wool and flannel wool, the coats and tailoring feature relaxed yet exaggerated fits. Down jackets are crafted from canvas, Mackintosh jackets from tartan wool, and hoodies, trousers, lounge pants, and shirts are crafted from premium leather. The brand's iconic arrow graphic, renamed "Racing Arrows," has been reinterpreted and updated with playful, pop details.
Oversized polo shirts, football tees, turtlenecks and more are crafted from luxurious yarns, representing the fusion of skate and high fashion culture. Original graffiti patterns and jacquards are recreated with meticulous detailing and sophisticated techniques, faithfully representing Off-White™'s bold graphic DNA.
The debut collection, “High Fashion” With its main line, the label deliberately subverts fashion conventions in Paris, the pinnacle of fashion. Rather than categorizing haute couture as the origin of urban clothing, the brand sees it as the ultimate expression of a lifestyle and the customs and ideologies that form its foundation. The 28-look collection, titled “Than a Bride,” opened with “The Bride,” a white silk taffeta moire dress with voluminous sleeves. The dress, with its lifted skirt reminiscent of a young girl dancing on the dance floor, was accessorized with a blue baseball cap embroidered with “Babe” on the front and “First Time For Love” on the back, and a lace veil.
Rich in detail and personality, the collection celebrates Virgil's extensive cultural vocabulary, recalling iconic Off-White™ moments and subtly advocating fearless embracing of life, as evidenced by The Party Girl® bags emblazoned with "More Life."
During the show, models mimicked the body language and gestures that Virgil had observed in the fashion world. Smoking cigarettes, sipping champagne, and drinking Coca-Cola, the Off-White™ high fashion girls co-opted established cultural signifiers and transformed them. It was, in a word, "elevation / Sublimation. But as Virgil Abloh has always done, once you've taken the elevator up, it's your duty to bring it down again.
Throughout the collection, numerous motifs are used, including manifestos, cultural symbols and conventions frequently used by Off-White™, such as The Carrie B.®, The Chicago Bulls®, The Kylie®, The Diva®, The Stripper®, The Soccer Player®, The Skater®, The I Only Smoke When I Drink®, The You Cut Me Off® to The Smoking®, and The Fuchsia®, as well as Virgil's favorite colors, NBA teams, and childhood objects.
Many of the looks feature Bunny's "Thinking Cap," with a look titled "The Icon" being the highlight of the collection. It features a cap embroidered with "High Fashion," a bustier wrapped in black jersey embroidered with the word "Snitchin" in crystals, and an asymmetrical crinoline creating a dramatic frame for heeled sandals.
Another signature look, The Falling Leaves® pairs an organza technical jacket with a pleated, stitchless organza skirt. Covered in thermo-tape and laser-cut tie-dye leaves, the silhouette is accompanied by a backpack filled with medicine and sneakers, elevating sportswear staples to haute couture while simultaneously interpreting haute couture for real life.
Throughout his career, Virgil has maintained the idea of designing for and representing "real life." The look, dubbed The Verg®, combines a mille-feuille skirt with an Alcantara coat, baseball cap, sneakers, and sunglasses, ensuring Virgil's aesthetic permeates every piece of the design process. During an early fitting for the show at the Off-White™ studio, Virgil had a model wear one of his coats, commenting, "See, now it looks like me."
This ultimate creation expresses Virgil's self-portrait, always delving into the "true reality" through the lens of haute couture, without being bound by expectations, stereotypes, projections, or outdated ideals.
As a teaser for the runway show, posters reading "Question Everything" appeared on flags throughout Paris and on billboards at Galeries Lafayette starting February 23rd. The show was streamed from over 70 storefronts across Paris, including Virgil's favorite boutiques. Ahead of the show, Off-White™ launched a TikTok account and collaborated with renowned rapper, singer, and TikTok creators Unknown T and Devon Carlson to create TikTok's first interactive live show. From March 2nd to 8th, a curated selection of "High Fashion" looks will be exhibited in the windows of the Paris flagship store on Rue de Castiglione. Paris-based community radio station Rinse FM will be broadcasting on the third floor of the store. A live performance curated by Virgil Abloh will be streamed on the Off-White™ Imaginary FM platform. At the same time, the store will also feature a sneak preview of Off-White™'s special collaboration with Swedish home appliance brand teenage engineering (to be released worldwide on March 10th). Furthermore, for two weeks during Paris Fashion Week, the store will take over the legendary restaurant Caviar Kaspia, one of Virgil Abloh's favorite spots, offering an "Imaginary" experience that reimagines everything from the restaurant's entrance to its décor and tableware through an Off-White™ lens. To celebrate this special partnership, the Off-White™ ℅ Caviar Kaspia capsule collection of homewear and ready-to-wear pieces will be available on off-white.com from March 8th. ■Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh™ Spaceship Earth, an "Imaginary Experience"
https://youtu.be/j8cgg3k4rGw
About OFF-WHITE c/o VIRGIL ABLOH™
OFF-WHITE c/o VIRGIL ABLOH™ Founded in 2013. Based on the concept of defining the gray area between black and white, the brand produces men's and women's collections as well as objects, furniture, and printed materials, communicating the culture and vision of the "present." Chief Creative Director and founder Virgil Abloh is known for his attention to proportion, unique use of materials, and graphics. He creates collections that tell a story through creative methods, with clothes that have a strong identity through playful designs such as vintage designs. Based in his Milan design studio, he recreates designs and trends from a global perspective with Italy's traditional craftsmanship and techniques. Virgil Abloh skillfully captures reality, and approaches fashion with a deep understanding of street style while paying homage to the artistic expression of high fashion. He also explores youth culture and incorporates its elements into his designs.
The women's collection, "Seeing Red," explores the contrasts and subcultures of the '90s, highlighting provocative silhouettes with neutral, postmodern accents of blue, purple, and yellow, exploring the balance of florals, plaids, abstract and understated prints, and masculine elements. The result is a fresh aesthetic language that recaptures the modern party girl vibe, reflected in two new collaborative shoes: the Nike x Off-White™ Air Force 1 Mid and Church's. These two shoe styles are also featured in men's and high fashion looks.
"Skiwear" is also available in the men's collection, where skate-inspired, oversized shapes are minimally reimagined with technical details and three-layer performance textiles, resulting in modern tie-dye prints that were also incorporated into the runway looks.
The Fall/Winter men's collection, titled "Foreign Exchange," continues the brand's minimalist approach, evolving knitwear, tailoring, coats, and outerwear with the brand's unique sartorial codes. Revisiting traditional menswear constructions and materials, such as houndstooth wool and flannel wool, the coats and tailoring feature relaxed yet exaggerated fits. Down jackets are crafted from canvas, Mackintosh jackets from tartan wool, and hoodies, trousers, lounge pants, and shirts are crafted from premium leather. The brand's iconic arrow graphic, renamed "Racing Arrows," has been reinterpreted and updated with playful, pop details.
Oversized polo shirts, football tees, turtlenecks and more are crafted from luxurious yarns, representing the fusion of skate and high fashion culture. Original graffiti patterns and jacquards are recreated with meticulous detailing and sophisticated techniques, faithfully representing Off-White™'s bold graphic DNA.
The debut collection, “High Fashion” With its main line, the label deliberately subverts fashion conventions in Paris, the pinnacle of fashion. Rather than categorizing haute couture as the origin of urban clothing, the brand sees it as the ultimate expression of a lifestyle and the customs and ideologies that form its foundation. The 28-look collection, titled “Than a Bride,” opened with “The Bride,” a white silk taffeta moire dress with voluminous sleeves. The dress, with its lifted skirt reminiscent of a young girl dancing on the dance floor, was accessorized with a blue baseball cap embroidered with “Babe” on the front and “First Time For Love” on the back, and a lace veil.
Rich in detail and personality, the collection celebrates Virgil's extensive cultural vocabulary, recalling iconic Off-White™ moments and subtly advocating fearless embracing of life, as evidenced by The Party Girl® bags emblazoned with "More Life."
During the show, models mimicked the body language and gestures that Virgil had observed in the fashion world. Smoking cigarettes, sipping champagne, and drinking Coca-Cola, the Off-White™ high fashion girls co-opted established cultural signifiers and transformed them. It was, in a word, "elevation / Sublimation. But as Virgil Abloh has always done, once you've taken the elevator up, it's your duty to bring it down again.
Throughout the collection, numerous motifs are used, including manifestos, cultural symbols and conventions frequently used by Off-White™, such as The Carrie B.®, The Chicago Bulls®, The Kylie®, The Diva®, The Stripper®, The Soccer Player®, The Skater®, The I Only Smoke When I Drink®, The You Cut Me Off® to The Smoking®, and The Fuchsia®, as well as Virgil's favorite colors, NBA teams, and childhood objects.
Many of the looks feature Bunny's "Thinking Cap," with a look titled "The Icon" being the highlight of the collection. It features a cap embroidered with "High Fashion," a bustier wrapped in black jersey embroidered with the word "Snitchin" in crystals, and an asymmetrical crinoline creating a dramatic frame for heeled sandals.
Another signature look, The Falling Leaves® pairs an organza technical jacket with a pleated, stitchless organza skirt. Covered in thermo-tape and laser-cut tie-dye leaves, the silhouette is accompanied by a backpack filled with medicine and sneakers, elevating sportswear staples to haute couture while simultaneously interpreting haute couture for real life.
Throughout his career, Virgil has maintained the idea of designing for and representing "real life." The look, dubbed The Verg®, combines a mille-feuille skirt with an Alcantara coat, baseball cap, sneakers, and sunglasses, ensuring Virgil's aesthetic permeates every piece of the design process. During an early fitting for the show at the Off-White™ studio, Virgil had a model wear one of his coats, commenting, "See, now it looks like me."
This ultimate creation expresses Virgil's self-portrait, always delving into the "true reality" through the lens of haute couture, without being bound by expectations, stereotypes, projections, or outdated ideals.
As a teaser for the runway show, posters reading "Question Everything" appeared on flags throughout Paris and on billboards at Galeries Lafayette starting February 23rd. The show was streamed from over 70 storefronts across Paris, including Virgil's favorite boutiques. Ahead of the show, Off-White™ launched a TikTok account and collaborated with renowned rapper, singer, and TikTok creators Unknown T and Devon Carlson to create TikTok's first interactive live show. From March 2nd to 8th, a curated selection of "High Fashion" looks will be exhibited in the windows of the Paris flagship store on Rue de Castiglione. Paris-based community radio station Rinse FM will be broadcasting on the third floor of the store. A live performance curated by Virgil Abloh will be streamed on the Off-White™ Imaginary FM platform. At the same time, the store will also feature a sneak preview of Off-White™'s special collaboration with Swedish home appliance brand teenage engineering (to be released worldwide on March 10th). Furthermore, for two weeks during Paris Fashion Week, the store will take over the legendary restaurant Caviar Kaspia, one of Virgil Abloh's favorite spots, offering an "Imaginary" experience that reimagines everything from the restaurant's entrance to its décor and tableware through an Off-White™ lens. To celebrate this special partnership, the Off-White™ ℅ Caviar Kaspia capsule collection of homewear and ready-to-wear pieces will be available on off-white.com from March 8th. ■Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh™ Spaceship Earth, an "Imaginary Experience"
https://youtu.be/j8cgg3k4rGw
About OFF-WHITE c/o VIRGIL ABLOH™
OFF-WHITE c/o VIRGIL ABLOH™ Founded in 2013. Based on the concept of defining the gray area between black and white, the brand produces men's and women's collections as well as objects, furniture, and printed materials, communicating the culture and vision of the "present." Chief Creative Director and founder Virgil Abloh is known for his attention to proportion, unique use of materials, and graphics. He creates collections that tell a story through creative methods, with clothes that have a strong identity through playful designs such as vintage designs. Based in his Milan design studio, he recreates designs and trends from a global perspective with Italy's traditional craftsmanship and techniques. Virgil Abloh skillfully captures reality, and approaches fashion with a deep understanding of street style while paying homage to the artistic expression of high fashion. He also explores youth culture and incorporates its elements into his designs.
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