"Insert Complicated Title Here"

by Virgil Abloh, Oana Stănescu (Introduction), Jennifer Sigler (Editor)

“What’s my DNA?” Virgil Abloh asks to an overflowing auditorium at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Abloh goes on to provide his audience with a “cheat code”—advice he wishes he had received as a student. He then unpacks a series of “shortcuts” for cultivating a “personal design language.” Trained as an architect and engineer, Abloh has translated the tools and techniques of his student days into the world of fashion, product design, and music. His label, Off-White, works in seeming contradictions, marrying streetwear with couture, collaborating with brands like Nike, Ikea, and the Red Cross; musicians like Lil Uzi Vert and Rihanna; and “mentors” like Rem Koolhaas. Impervious to hurdles (“They literally don’t exist.”), Abloh takes us behind the scenes of his design process, sharing the essentials of editing, problem-solving, and storytelling. He paints a picture of his DNA, and then flips the question: What’s your DNA?

Born in Rockford, Illinois, in 1980, Virgil Abloh is an artist, architect, engineer, creative director, and designer. After earning a degree in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, he completed a master’s degree in architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology. It was there that he learned not only about design principles but also about the concept of collaborative working.

Virgil Abloh’s brand Off-White c/o Virgil Abloh™ was started in 2012 as an artwork titled PYREX VISION. In 2013, the brand premiered a seasonal men’s and women’s fashion label and moved into the production of furniture. Abloh has also curated exhibitions of his work, and in 2019 will have a retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. In 2018, Abloh was named artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection.

Lecture given October 26, 2017, Piper Auditorium, Gund Hall, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

Genres: Design, Fashion, Essays, Art, Architecture

96 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2018

Reviews

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dear Virgil,

You're dead now.
Yet, somehow, you've never been more alive to me.
(You always did love irony)

I was 17 when I first heard of you. The internet was abuzz about your talk at Harvard. You, quote, "came to share random things on [your] laptop." A post-modern magician, you awed the audience with behind the scene images, drawings, and reference pieces - physical and digital - from your high-profile, huge-hype works. You threw a shoe into the audience.

"[THROWS SHOE INTO THE AUDIENCE] (Pause.)"

That was a long throw. You were at the crest of a zeitgeist, Virgil.

In 2019, two years later, you exhibited "Figures of Speech" at museums across the world. The tour opened in Chicago, your hometown. I was blessed with the opportunity to go. You were so much more than a screenprinter of hoodies, a designer of sneakers, an avant-garde fashionista. No, like the creatives of old, Virgil, you denied to be named by discipline in favor of that bigger word, the one that spoke to your interdisciplinary ability: artist.

I'm struggling and failing to reconcile myself with your death. There is too large a hole in my night sky. Neither of us can deny that you're dead; but they're saying "Virgil was here." Was?

Virgil is here.

Virgil is here in the soles of shoes strutted across the globe.
Virgil is here in the garments adorned, worn with a peacock's pride.
Virgil is here in the million minds of his benefacting fans.
Virgil is here in the creative wellspring of artists worldwide.
Virgil is here in the waters of our cultural garden.
Virgil is here in the hearts of those graced by his Love.
Virgil is here in the infinite impressions of the legend's life.

"REST IN PEACE"

[Shayan · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It is the fact that there is no aha moment. That's what has tripped me up the most. To this day, I am still reluctant to call myself a designer because I always believed that designers didn't look like me. That was my biggest hurdle. That's the main message that I want to deliver: most hurdles are self-imposed. They literally don't exist. there is no failure. Failure is as real as Halloween ghosts. And then the aha moment was like: wait I can just put work out and if it's good, it works, if it's bad, no one notices. Then I can just get better at it."

[Joseph Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Genius.” As much as I appreciate Virgil’s work I find his talk about his thought process akin to a 1st year student. Not that that in itself is bad, he just doesn’t seem to have evolved much. I think he’s someone who’s been lucky, is very much of this time, and has leveraged opportunities, which is probably as good as it gets at this moment in history.

[Deniz · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5

This book is actually the transcript of Virgil’s presentation in Harvard. He explains how he found his Design DNA and how he approaches designing.

It takes less than an hour to read and if you’re interested in designing (not only fashion) then I think it’s a nice read.

I personally enjoyed the book and found it quite helpful. It’s a little hard to follow towards the end since this is a transcript and you cant physically see the slides or the materials used during the presentation even though there are photos of the slides.

The book helps you answer the most important question “Why?”. Understanding why you behave and design in such ways and dig deeper into understanding your aesthetic.

Not exactly a 4 star, but definitely not a 3 star. Enjoyable read.


21 Dec 2018

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Virgil Abloh is an American designer, Artchetic, Artist, DJ, and Icon. He is the artistic director of Louis Vuitton's men's collection. Abloh is also the founder of the streetwear brand Off-White. This book is a transcript of his lecture at Harvard. He gives advice to many Harvard College students, explains how he designed his designs and gives inspiration to the students as well. This could inspire many people. Filled with so much knowledge in such a small book. My favorite quote from the book was "Don’t get trapped into the mentality of: Everything sucks, the world is coming to an end" (Abloh 39).

[Klaudia Poloncová · Rating 5 out of 5]

" I'm sure that you're trying to challenge yourself to invent something new, trying to be avant-garde. Basically, that's impossible. These are things that I've figured out through working. As designers and artists, we exist as a result of many iterations before us, and we're collectively trekking in the same direction."

[fabienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between 3 and 4 stars. An informative practical transcript for folks trying thinking to hard about design and success in 2018. If I were more passionate about fashion or streetwear I might be more interested in this book. It's more of a reference than a pleasure read in a lot of ways.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Japanese Edition*

[Gabriel Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book on design and design thinking. Along with some fun illustration and clever ways of thinking about the world. I'd definitely recommend it.

[Germán de la Fuente · Rating 3 out of 5]

You have it online on Youtube.

[Rsamuel3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Transcript of a very interesting lecture at Harvard's design school.

[Duncan Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

"that’s the main message i want to deliver: most hurdles are self-imposed. they literally don’t exist. there is no failure."

- virgil abloh

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

he was a genius. virgil
forever.

[Tim Belonax · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish it was longer and went more in depth, but that just might be the Achilles’ Heal of translating a presentation into a book (that wasn’t originally intended for a book).

[Alexis Baumgarten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspirational without being condescending. Read it all in one sitting and wanted to annotate everything.