HR0569 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0569 LRB102 22120 LAW 31249 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives are saddened to learn of the death of Virgil Abloh of Chicago, who passed away on November 28, 2021; and

WHEREAS, Virgil Abloh was born to Nee and Eunice Abloh in Rockford on September 30, 1980; he was raised in Rockford and graduated from Boylan Catholic High School in 1998; he completed his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2002; he earned his Master of Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2006; he interned at Fendi in Rome in 2009; he married Shannon Sundberg in 2009; and

WHEREAS, Virgil Abloh officially assumed the role of creative director at Donda, Kanye West's creative agency, in 2010; he served as artistic director of the album Watch the Throne by Jay-Z and West in 2011, which led to his nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Recording Package; he launched his first brand, Pyrex Vision, in New York in 2012; and

WHEREAS, Virgil Abloh founded Off-White, a multi-platform creative endeavor based in Milan, in 2013; through Off-White, he combined ideas of streetwear, luxury, art, music, and travel; he launched womenswear for Off-White in 2014, and he began showing his men's and women's collections during Paris Fashion Week; he opened his first concept store in the Aoyama area of Tokyo, Japan in 2016; he also debuted his Grey Area furniture collection in Milan, his first furniture venture under the Off-White brand; and

WHEREAS, Virgil Abloh was named the artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collections in 2018, making history as Louis Vuitton's first Black artistic director; and

WHEREAS, During his multifaceted career, Virgil Abloh collaborated with a multitude of other artists and companies, including Takashi Murakami, Warby Parky, Jacob the Jeweler, Jimmy Choo, IKEA, and Nike; and

WHEREAS, Virgil Abloh received a number of accolades for his work; his company Off-White was named a finalist for the LVMH Prize, an industry award, in 2015; he was named among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in 2018; his artwork was the subject of an exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago in 2019; and

WHEREAS, Virgil Abloh established the Virgil Abloh "Post-Modern" Scholarship Fund in 2020 to foster equity and inclusion within the fashion industry by providing scholarships to students of academic promise of Black, African-American, or African descent; to date, his fund has assisted 20 scholars with $7,500 scholarships; and

WHEREAS, Virgil Abloh was a fiercely devoted father, husband, son, brother, and friend; he was known for his work ethic, infinite curiosity, and unwavering optimism; he was driven by his dedication to his craft and to his mission to open doors for others and create pathways for greater equality in art and design; he will be dearly missed; and

WHEREAS, Virgil Abloh is survived by his wife, Shannon Abloh; his children, Lowe and Grey; his sister, Edwina Abloh; and his parents, Nee and Eunice Abloh; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Virgil Abloh and extend our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Virgil Abloh as an expression of our deepest sympathy.