To answer that question, we have to go back to 2002. ItвЂ™s rare that the question вЂњwhatвЂ™s the deal?вЂќ feels fair or interesting, but, uh, whatвЂ™s the deal? Off-White started with a brush - or prolonged embrace - with celebrity In essence, weвЂ™re all independent brands and retailers.вЂќ Often, at his most earnest, he says things like, вЂњWeвЂ™re lucky to have a public that is now prime to support brands. It is not at all a challenge to find people who will say Abloh is leading a cult of personality dependent on teens who donвЂ™t know better, that his undeniable historical significance as the most prolific designer of his generation is at odds with his seeming disinterest in giving anyone a good reason to care. ItвЂ™s extremely expensive streetwear - primarily T-shirts and hoodies and sneakers - beloved by the teenagers of Reddit, the rich club kids of New York and Milan, the pop stars and rappers in every magazine and on every social media feed, and much of the high-fashion elite, including AblohвЂ™s day-one fan Marc Jacobs. вЂњEverything in quotes,вЂќ as in, вЂњeverything is ironic and also the main recognizable design element on the clothes is chunky quotation marksвЂќДЄs perplexing as it was when kids lined up and paid $1,000-plus to buy a literal brick released by Supreme two years ago, at least it was clear that it was in some ways a joke. Off-White makes plenty of clothes that are what you might recognize as high fashion, but itвЂ™s better known for things like $1,000 sweatshirts pricey, tongue-in-cheek phone cases buzzy collaborations that help fuel the $1 billion sneaker resale industry its signature, seemingly nonfunctional industrial-themed belts and its вЂ¦ experimental furniture. A scarf with вЂњscarfвЂќ written on it in quotes. A shoelace on a $700 pair of sneakers with the word вЂњShoelacesвЂќ written on it, in quotes. Its guiding principle is just вЂњeverything in quotes,вЂќ as in, вЂњeverything is ironic and also the main recognizable design element on the clothes is chunky quotation marks.вЂќ A black dress with the words вЂњLittle Black DressвЂќ written on it, in quotes. The brand was founded in 2012, and its popularity isnвЂ™t new, but itвЂ™s now reaching heights that, to the idle but curious fashion observer, may be confounding.

ItвЂ™s easy to see that Rihanna wears these clothes, and that the Nike Air Prestos designed by Abloh and released this summer were mentioned more than 250,000 times on social media and were so hard to buy that they are now available on resale apps at markups of around 450 percent. But itвЂ™s easy to see that the Milan-based fashion brand Off-White has 5.4 million Instagram followers and that founder Virgil Abloh has 3.1 million. His quote mark branding вЂ“ with items labelled вЂњcapвЂќ, вЂњwalletвЂќ, вЂњbootsвЂќ, etc вЂ“ chimes with a generation who like to wear their meta culture on their sleeve.Things like вЂњinfluenceвЂќ and importance are watery concepts. They will no doubt be snapped up by his devoted young fanbase. Off-White is a cult label on the streetwear scene вЂ“ and the classics of the genre were here: bucket hats, gilets, denim jackets and bumbags. It was a perfectly orchestrated moment designed for social media.ДЄs always with Abloh, there were also very wearable clothes. The showвЂ™s finales saw male and female models, including Gigi Hadid, walk through the field of flowers, the women in ball gowns decorated with Futura prints. Celebrities including Lewis Hamilton watched a collection based on 1980s street culture, 1990s dorm rooms and plastic. Abloh is one of only a few designers of colour in fashion and his casting and front row were noticeably diverse. The set featured a sea of white carnations planted in turf, with a Futura sculpture pride of place. If the reference was from the past, the show was designed for the photo opportunities necessary for now. The graffiti artist FuturaвЂ™s work is вЂimportant for the foundation of streetwearвЂ™, the Off-White designer, Abloh, said.

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