The fashion world is in mourning following the death of American designer Virgil Abloh at the age of 41.
On Sunday night, it was announced that Virgil – who has collaborated with Louis Vuitton and served as CEO of the fashion house Off-White – had died following a private battle with cancer.
Since then, a wave of high-profile celebrities and figures from the fashion industry have been paying their respects on social media.
Kanye West worked with Virgil on his creative agency Donda, and paid tribute to the late designer on the brand’s website with a message that read: “IN LOVING MEMORY OF VIRGIL ABLOH THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF DONDA.”
Donatella Versace posted a picture of herself and Virgil with supermodel Naomi Campbell on her Instagram page, writing that she felt “lost for words” at the news.
Naomi then commented on the post with a string of broken hearts.
British Vogue editor Edward Enninful hailed the designer for having “changed the fashion industry” in his lifetime.
“Virgil believed that anything was possible for humankind, if only we could tear ourselves away from unconscious biases and norms and reassume the imagination we had as children,” he wrote.
“His achievements won’t just live on. They will continue to evolve, because we are only seeing the beginning of his impact on the creative industries and surrounding world.”
Other stars who knew and worked with Virgil – including Pharrell Williams, Frank Ocean, The Weeknd and Victoria Beckham – have also paid tribute online, as have many fashion brands:
Virgil is survived by his wife Shannon Abloh, with whom he had two children.