Kanye Hugged Virgil Abloh After His Louis Vuitton Debut
Virgil Abloh and Kanye West shared a long, emotional hug at the end of Abloh's first Louis Vuitton menswear show on June 21, 2018, and Takashi Murakami photographed part of it. The show, Colour Theory, ran 56 looks on a 200 metre rainbow runway in the Palais Royal gardens.
Key Points
- Abloh's Louis Vuitton debut ran June 21, 2018 in the Palais Royal gardens
- Colour Theory showed 56 looks on a 200 metre hand painted rainbow runway
- West introduced Murakami and Abloh in 2007 during the Graduation project
Virgil Abloh finished his first Louis Vuitton menswear show on June 21, 2018, walked the rainbow runway in tears and went to Kanye West for a long hug. Takashi Murakami photographed part of the moment.
Colour Theory Ran 56 Looks Down a Hand Painted Rainbow
The show was Abloh's first as Louis Vuitton's men's artistic director, a role he took in March 2018 as the first African American to hold it. It ran in the gardens of the Palais Royal in Paris during men's fashion week, on a hand painted runway 200 metres long that Abloh described as a gradient painting inspired by the Land of Oz. The collection, Colour Theory, showed 56 looks, and the front row included Rihanna, A$AP Rocky and Kim Kardashian.
Murakami Was the Third Man in the Frame
West is the link between the two men behind the lens and the runway. He introduced Murakami and Abloh in 2007 during the Graduation album project, and their 2018 Gagosian Beverly Hills show grew out of that meeting.
Murakami also had a Louis Vuitton history before Abloh arrived, going back to his 2003 monogram collaboration under Marc Jacobs. That is why a photo of this hug taken by him sits so well in the archive of the house.
Two Tracks From ye Were in the Mix
The soundtrack carried "I Thought About Killing You" and "Ghost Town" from West's album ye, released earlier that month. Reports from the show describe both men audibly weeping during the embrace.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Virgil Abloh's Louis Vuitton debut show?
Abloh showed his first Louis Vuitton menswear collection, Colour Theory, on June 21, 2018 in the gardens of the Palais Royal in Paris.
Who photographed Virgil Abloh and Kanye West's hug?
Takashi Murakami photographed part of the hug at the end of the show.
Topics: palais-royal, menswear, virgil abloh, takashi murakami, culture, colour-theory, virgil-abloh, gagosian, louis-vuitton, kanye-west, fashion, takashi-murakami, louis vuitton, paris-fashion-week