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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Virgil
4Abloh of Chicago, who passed away on November 28, 2021; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Virgil Abloh was born to Nee and Eunice Abloh in
6Rockford on September 30, 1980; he was raised in Rockford and
7graduated from Boylan Catholic High School in 1998; he
8completed his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering at the
9University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2002; he earned his Master
10of Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology in
112006; he interned at Fendi in Rome in 2009; he married Shannon
12Sundberg in 2009; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Virgil Abloh officially assumed the role of
14creative director at Donda, Kanye West's creative agency, in
152010; he served as artistic director of the album Watch the
16Throne by Jay-Z and West in 2011, which led to his nomination
17for the Grammy Award for Best Recording Package; he launched
18his first brand, Pyrex Vision, in New York in 2012; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Virgil Abloh founded Off-White, a multi-platform
20creative endeavor based in Milan, in 2013; through Off-White,
21he combined ideas of streetwear, luxury, art, music, and
22travel; he launched womenswear for Off-White in 2014, and he

 

 

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1began showing his men's and women's collections during Paris
2Fashion Week; he opened his first concept store in the Aoyama
3area of Tokyo, Japan in 2016; he also debuted his Grey Area
4furniture collection in Milan, his first furniture venture
5under the Off-White brand; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Virgil Abloh was named the artistic director of
7Louis Vuitton's menswear collections in 2018, making history
8as Louis Vuitton's first Black artistic director; and
 
9    WHEREAS, During his multifaceted career, Virgil Abloh
10collaborated with a multitude of other artists and companies,
11including Takashi Murakami, Warby Parky, Jacob the Jeweler,
12Jimmy Choo, IKEA, and Nike; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Virgil Abloh received a number of accolades for
14his work; his company Off-White was named a finalist for the
15LVMH Prize, an industry award, in 2015; he was named among Time
16Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2018; his artwork
17was the subject of an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary
18Art in Chicago in 2019; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Virgil Abloh established the Virgil Abloh
20"Post-Modern" Scholarship Fund in 2020 to foster equity and
21inclusion within the fashion industry by providing
22scholarships to students of academic promise of Black,

 

 

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1African-American, or African descent; to date, his fund has
2assisted 20 scholars with $7,500 scholarships; and
 
3    WHEREAS, Virgil Abloh was a fiercely devoted father,
4husband, son, brother, and friend; he was known for his work
5ethic, infinite curiosity, and unwavering optimism; he was
6driven by his dedication to his craft and to his mission to
7open doors for others and create pathways for greater equality
8in art and design; he will be dearly missed; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Virgil Abloh is survived by his wife, Shannon
10Abloh; his children, Lowe and Grey; his sister, Edwina Abloh;
11and his parents, Nee and Eunice Abloh; therefore, be it
 
12    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
13HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
14we mourn the passing of Virgil Abloh and extend our sincere
15condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved
16him; and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
18presented to the family of Virgil Abloh as an expression of our
19deepest sympathy.