VIRGIL ABLOH: “Duchamp is my Lawyer”
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VIRGIL ABLOH: “Duchamp is my Lawyer”
For me, the ideas of Mies van der Rohe and Bauhaus are things that completely translate to modernism in clothing—the idea that you could design a building that’s so resolved in its principles that it works in Shanghai, it works in Africa, it works in Tokyo. That’s where the diagonal lines of Off-White come from. It’s a universal language.
Thom Bettridge • VIRGIL ABLOH: “Duchamp is my Lawyer”
expanding a vision, a message, requires developing a design language or a signature that’s easily recognizable and usable in every context or place in the world.
What feeds your reference system?
Snobs. Haters. It’s a system enlarged by call and response. Making something successful is not just doing whatever you want. It’s knowing what works, then also knowing the opposite of what works and syncing those two things up with the moment.
Snobs. Haters. It’s a system enlarged by call and response. Making something successful is not just doing whatever you want. It’s knowing what works, then also knowing the opposite of what works and syncing those two things up with the moment.
Thom Bettridge • VIRGIL ABLOH: “Duchamp is my Lawyer”
Do you see Off-White as ever being the kind of fashion house that is bought by LVMH or Kering?
As you can imagine, my goal in my career is to design for a fashion house. I’m more of a creative director than a designer. And you can see it in my work too. The diagonal lines help me solve a huge issue, how to take a bunch of random things and let them... See more
As you can imagine, my goal in my career is to design for a fashion house. I’m more of a creative director than a designer. And you can see it in my work too. The diagonal lines help me solve a huge issue, how to take a bunch of random things and let them... See more
Thom Bettridge • VIRGIL ABLOH: “Duchamp is my Lawyer”
Relatable. I see myself more as a creative-director or strategist rather than just a creative specifically (if that makes sense).
It just feels more right when I’m able to develop a shared vision with those who I co-create or commune with, and together, turn that into a product, a brand, or even a culture that acts as a canvas to express that.
“[Being open source] means that what I do has the instructions embedded into it, so that kids can look at the garment and think, “Hey, I can do that too.” I think the best analogy for this is skateboarding. Some kid can do a trick that no one has ever seen before, but the second he films it and puts it on YouTube, ten other kids around the world ca... See more
Thom Bettridge • VIRGIL ABLOH: “Duchamp is my Lawyer”
“A streetwear skyscraper would be horizontal. It would be a city block that’s exactly the same as the one that already existed there. The building wouldn’t get any higher, it would just get wider and develop as a community. When you go wider, there’s more opportunity for crossover.”
Thom Bettridge • VIRGIL ABLOH: “Duchamp is my Lawyer”
Something I found interesting about your monogram, or logo, is that it’s taken from the language of construction signs, a language that’s designed to be seen anywhere from far away. And, in an industry that’s about grabbing people’s attention on tiny screens, a logo that can be seen from 1,000 yards away fits the bill.
Thom Bettridge • VIRGIL ABLOH: “Duchamp is my Lawyer”
Make something so distinct that people can see it 10 meters away and still recognize that it’s your brand.
Because brands are only as old as the people who direct them. That’s why you’re now seeing a deterioration of people following brands, as opposed to designers and stylists.
So it’s going to be about celebrity?
It’s going to be about visionaries.
So it’s going to be about celebrity?
It’s going to be about visionaries.
Thom Bettridge • VIRGIL ABLOH: “Duchamp is my Lawyer”
Brands are just tools for consumers to describe their personality. If your personality is flat, then you wear obvious things.
Thom Bettridge • VIRGIL ABLOH: “Duchamp is my Lawyer”
I almost don’t even want to design and operate from scratch. I’m into the idea of editing. And I think that’s valuable now, because the cycles have gotten shorter. For me, the ideas of Mies van der Rohe and Bauhaus are things that completely translate to modernism in clothing—the idea that you could design a building that’s so resolved in its princ... See more
Thom Bettridge • VIRGIL ABLOH: “Duchamp is my Lawyer”
I almost don’t even want to design and operate from scratch. I’m into the idea of editing - Virgil Abloh