Naomi Campbell: My last conversation with my friend Virgil Abloh

Virgil Abloh, who rose to fame as a fashion disruptor running his own label, Off-White, was the first black man to run Louis Vuitton, where he was artistic director of menswear. The Illinois native, who passed away from a rare and aggressive form of cancer, was renowned for his youth-centric, streetwear-inspired take on style and garnered a cult following. A polymath who turned his hand to DJing and furniture design, he nurtured young designers and was a vocal advocate for black fashion talent. Here, his friend Naomi Campbell talks about his impact...

I first met Virgil through a mutual friend in 2017 and we all went for dinner at The Dorchester. What immediately struck me was his generosity; he turned up with boxes of sneakers from Off-White for everyone. He had a show coming up in Paris, which was going to be based on Princess Diana, and he didn’t quite know how to ask me to be in it. It being a young company then, he wasn’t able to pay, but I told him I’d be proud to work for a black designer. I believed in his creativity.

From then, our relationship grew and I was lucky enough to get to know him as a friend, a family man and a huge force in the world of fashion. What always amazed me was how involved he was in other mediums; he had trained in architecture, he was an engineer previously, and he was an incredible chess player of life in the sense that he really knew how to make the moves.

He dealt with his cancer for two years with dignity. Despite the enormity of loss – and how devastating, crushing and shocking it is – I am so grateful that I got to spend two days with him in Qatar a few weeks ago, where an exhibition of his work was being held. Sheikha Al Mayassa, who was running the event, asked us to hold a dinner together and Virgil gave a speech. He was so dignified and elegant, talking about wanting to unite people. That’s what he did. He then DJ-ed for two-and-a-half hours, never leaving the turntable. One of the last conversations we had together was about how much of that region he wanted to explore; he was fascinated by it and I remember him saying “I want to see more”. He was curious about so much in life.

He was equally enthusiastic about the African continent; one of the other final conversations with him was about Africa and what he should know about culturally and creatively. He asked: “How can we make things better?” He already has, for young black talent following in his footsteps, in so many ways.

Virgil was very smart. You saw this in his approach to work – I remember watching him unveil a furniture project in Copenhagen, and how committed he was to sustainability. He had a reach far beyond fashion; it says something when the former Secretary of Education for the United States (which Virgil worked with in educational programmes for children) as well as young people online can come together and mourn someone.

After hearing the news, I spent Sunday night calling his team to let them know we are thinking of them; behind every great man is a great team and Virgil would always champion the people behind him. He had his success, but he made sure that those who were with him in the beginning were all with him as he rose through the ranks of fashion.

He was a proud advocate for young black designers such as Samuel Ross and Heron Preston, and supported them. He took a great deal of pleasure in seeing others succeed; it wasn’t enough that he’d risen through the ranks, he wanted others to follow him through the door he opened. A while ago I introduced him to the musician WizKid, who had a gig last night.

It was the last thing any of Virgil’s friends felt like doing, but it felt important for all of us to go because he would have wanted us to celebrate life. There was a minute’s silence amongst 20,000 people and I know that so many others will be doing the same. It was incredibly moving.

Virgil achieved more in his short time in the fashion industry than some people do in decades, in terms of changing the landscape. He managed to encapsulate a time, an energy and a zeitgeist.

I want to cancel everything right now, of course I do. But you have to get up and get on with the day, because that’s what my friend did for two years without a word of complaint, dealing with a great deal of pain. I have a trip soon to represent African designers and I know that Virgil would want me to honour that commitment.

No matter if you liked his brand, or liked what he produced, you have to respect the fact that Virgil Abloh got that far. I am forever grateful that I got to tell him to his face in his final weeks how proud I was of him and how proud we are as a culture. There is no other black man in the history of fashion that got a seat at the table, after so much asking, for so long. But he did. Virgil got it and he deserved it. He was a pioneer and, no matter how much his loss affects us right now, the foundations he laid are only just getting started. I can’t wait to see where they take us.

As told to Stephen Doig

Instagram tributes from the fashion world for Virgil Abloh

Misan Harriman (@misanharriman)

British photographer / Chair of Southbank Centre

We must never ever forget what Virgil Abloh did! So many people decided that fashion could be their calling because of him. This is devastating but we must never forget the importance of his career. A son of the soil who flew to heights unseen.

Adut Akech (@adutakech)

Fashion model

I’m just lost for words, I feel sick to my stomach. It was an honour to know you and be in your presence Virgil. To work with you and be in your creative world. Thank you for all that you’ve done for the culture.

Edward Enninful (@edward_enninful)

Editor in Chief, British Vogue

Virgil Abloh changed the fashion industry. Famously prolific, he always worked for a greater cause than his own illustrious career: to open the door to art and fashion for future generations, so that they – unlike himself – would grow up in a creative world with people to mirror themselves in.

Olivier Rousteing (@olivier_rousteing)

Creative Director, Balmain

You made [an entire world] dream, you brought lights to entire generations. By your art, your vision, your words, you made it clear that everything is possible. I remember us in Paris dreaming of fashion even before [...] everything started for us.

Bernard Arnault (@louisvuitton)

CEO, LVMH

We are all shocked by this terrible news. Virgil was not only a genius designer and a visionary, he was also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom. The LVMH family joins me in this moment of great sorrow and we are all thinking of his loved ones on the passing of their husband, father, brother, son and friend.

Kendall Jenner (@kendalljenner)

American fashion model and reality star

If you had the privilege of knowing Virgil, you were one of the lucky ones. He was the kindest, most positive, humble, joyful and full of light person I have ever known. He had the most wonderful way of making you feel so special. To battle his illness privately perfectly explains the type of man he was, he never wanted anyone to worry about him

Cara Delevingne (@caradelevigne)

British model and actress

This man has done so much for so many people. He lived his life for creation and for others in so many ways. I only hope that with his decision to face this battle in private, that he felt and was surrounded by all the love that the world and the people close to him felt.

Anders Christian Madsen (@anderschristianmadsen)

Fashion Critic, British Vogue

Virgil was acutely aware of documenting his time on this planet. “Within my practice, I contribute to a Black canon of culture and art and its preservation. This is why, to preserve my own output, I record it at length,” we wrote in his LV (Louis Vuitton) manifesto last summer.