If You Thought Virgil Abloh Was “Original,” Then You Really Don’t Get It

As commentary and official statements continue to fly around on the subject of Virgil Abloh’s most recent Louis Vuitton menswear show in Shanghai — and the ire it drew from Antwerp Six designer Walter Van Beirendonck — it has become clear that the conversation is about much more than sewing stuffed animals to blazers. Days after the show, Virgil godfather Kanye fired back at Van Beirendonck, making sure to splash some acid on the appropriation watchdog Diet Prada in the process — and, a couple days after that, released his own bizarre presidential campaign merch that was a direct logo jack of Vision Street Wear. The reality is, this topic has become such a big conversation because of our collective fascination with the idea of “copying,” and what originality itself even means in our time. We love to be able to call people out. We love to avenge underdogs that get copied. And we love to mourn a non-existent past where everything was a lot more “original.” But, for myself personally, watching this conversation unfold as a student of cultural theory (and someone who has spent a bizarre amount of time talking to and about Virgil Abloh), there are six fundamental ideas and facts about this scenario that I feel urgently need to be spelled out to our readers. Read more at Highsnobiety.