Following the news that longtime Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci has stepped down from his post, rumors are swirling about who could be next up to take over the prestigious gig.
Virgil Abloh, designer of cool-kid streetwear brand OFF-WHITE, DJ and right hand man to Kanye West is said to be in line for consideration.
According to WWD, sources say that the Ghanian designer has been in talks with the luxury French house.
When asked about the rumors, a spokeswoman from the label declined to comment. Abloh has been mum about the possible move as well, only giving this vague comment reiterating a well-known fact that he’d like to take over a major luxury house some day.“My trajectory is to update and provide something new in the fashion industry by way of creating a project and using it as a case study on how to update a luxury house,” he told WWD.
Many expected the creative to address the news at his recent lecture at Columbia University, instead he announced a collaboration with Nike.
If Abloh were to take over, this would mark the first time a Black designer has had creative control of both the women’s and men’s collections at Givenchy. Ghanian designer Ozwald Boateng served as the artistic director for the brand from 2003-2006, but worked only on the men’s division.
Either way, it’s clear that with his new Nike partnership and a furniture collection in the works, Abloh is on the move.