“Defining the gray area between black and white as the colour of Off-White”, since inception Off White has struck a chord with youth worldwide blending facets of streetwear, luxury and renaissance art to create a cultural movement.
It began in Milan in 2013, where after an illustrious career interning at fashion house Fendi and working with the likes of Kanye West; Virgil Abloh launched the brand to almost immediate success. It was quickly embraced by celebrity culture, being spotted on the likes Beyonce, Kanye West and Riannah and this immense exposure is what helped build the brands name.
Throughout Off White’s history Virgil has paid homage to it’s Italian roots in Milan, incorporating Leonardo Davinci’s iconic ‘Mona Lisa’ or other paintings from renaissance Italy figures like Caravvagio into their pieces.
It began in Milan in 2013, where after an illustrious career interning at fashion house Fendi and working with the likes of Kanye West; Virgil Abloh launched the brand to almost immediate success. It was quickly embraced by celebrity culture, being spotted on the likes Beyonce, Kanye West and Riannah and this immense exposure is what helped build the brands name.
Throughout Off White’s history Virgil has paid homage to it’s Italian roots in Milan, incorporating Leonardo Davinci’s iconic ‘Mona Lisa’ or other paintings from renaissance Italy figures like Caravvagio into their pieces.
Signature motifs such as the diagonal stripes, “quotation marks” and basic typography designs were all staples of their designs early on and have now become synonymous with the brand.
It’s long list of clothing collaborations has seen brands from every corner of the fashion world combine forces with Off White for collections. Luxury brands like Moncler, streetwear figures like KITH to everyday wear staples like Champion are amongst the names on that list, Off White has shown a willingness to create something for everyone.
More than clothing, it’s ongoing footwear collaborations with powerhouses Converse and Nike helped to embed the brand into sneaker culture. Where the destructed designs put a twist of iconic solioustess like the Chuck Taylors and Air Jordans, blending Off White motifs like the “quotation marks” with several iconic shoe models from the brands.
More than clothing, it’s ongoing footwear collaborations with powerhouses Converse and Nike helped to embed the brand into sneaker culture. Where the destructed designs put a twist of iconic solioustess like the Chuck Taylors and Air Jordans, blending Off White motifs like the “quotation marks” with several iconic shoe models from the brands.
Although most known for clothing, Off White has lived up to its description by Virgil as an “Art Project, one example of this is where he took core tenants of the brand to the new territories with the “MARKREAD” Virgil x IKEA collection, which saw Virgil incorporate the “quotation marks” and renaissance art into typical home decor such as rugs, chairs, pillowcases and clocks. This was followed by multiple collaborations with Rimowa, a German based luggage manufacturer dating back to the 1800’s, which saw luggage designs stamped with the Off White Tape and diagonal lines.
Even more recently was the launching of “Off White Rap Video Studio” which has seen Off White delve into video direction for the upper echelon of hip hop culture. It’s unconventional moves like these amongst the steady stream of clothing collections that keep Off White at the helm of youth culture.
