RIP Virgil Abloh, Ghanaian-American Designer Extraordinaire

The May 2021 cover of Vogue Magazine featured Amanda Gorman in a Kente dress inspired by Ghanaian-American designer Virgil Abloh. Abloh had a massive impact in fashion, as well as influencing graphic art for musicians like Kanye West, Jay Z, Lil Wayne, A$AP Rocky and others.

RIP the great Ghanaian American designer Virgil Abloh, who died on November 28, 2021. Virgil was the artistic director of Menswear for Louis Vuitton and he brought Kente cloth from his Ghanaian heritage into the world of high fashion. Some of the Kente designs he created were developed into this stunning May 2021 Vogue cover of poet Amanda Gorman in a beautiful gown that is reminiscent of Kente robe of royalty. Beyond his fashion design, Virgil’s aesthetics and graphic art concepts have influenced many album covers for artists like Kanye West, Jay Z, Lil Wayne, A$AP Rocky, Lupe Fiasco and others. It is rare that Africans rise to such heights in the fashion world or in music, entertainment and graphic art. As a Ghanaian-American (he was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois) Virgil Abloh reflected a new symbiosis of African, African American and Africa Diaspora cultural and generational influences.

Virgil Abloh and some of the album covers he designed for artists like Jay Z, Kanye West, Big Sean and Lil Uzi Vert.

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You may not be able to afford Virgil Abloh’s high fashion designs for the runways of Paris and Milan – but the good news is you can still rock beautiful Kente fashion designs by wearing a Kente cloth bow tie!!!

For just $20 you can buy one of Kwasi Asare’s authentic Kente bow ties and you can FEEL as FLY and STYLISH as the great Virgil Abloh – you can feel like an African King! You can transform your dress shirts into a flash of African brilliance and beauty! And of course, you can always buy Kwasi Asare’s authentic Kente cloth robes, which make wonderful Christmas and Kwanzaa gifts.

Don’t hesitate to contact Kwasi directly to order your bow ties or authentic Kente cloth shawls – you can reach Kwasi at (202) 569-5153 or through his email kwasister@kwasiasareblog


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