kanye west graduation album cover artist

He designed a plush hoodie for the Metropolitan Museum of Art that simply read: “THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART HOODIE DESIGNED BY OFF-WHITE C/O VIRGIL ABLOH.” Something is wrong in a world where Virgil doesn’t have haters. In 2017, Nike gave Abloh the opportunity to reimagine ten of his all-time favorite swoosh kicks. McDonalds commissioned Virgil to imbue street swag into the packaging of the world’s most iconic burger, the Big Mac. Three years later, he and Ricardo Tisci, former menswear and accessories designer for Givenchy, designed the majestic cover for Ye and Jay-Z’s landmark album, Watch the Throne. He commissioned Takashi Murakami to provide the artwork for Kanye’s Graduation album. In 2009, he and Ye even did a six-month internship at Fendi together for $500 a month.

His entry into the zeitgeist was as Creative Director to the ballooned brand that is Kanye West. This after he founded Off-White, a streetwear line that took just five years to leap over behemoth houses like Gucci and claim number one in the world. The man had the audacity to leave his physical as the only Black man to hold the title of Artistic Director at Louis Vuitton.

The late leader of lowkey luxe fashion was catnip for envy. Throughout his 41 years on Earth and well over a decade in the spotlight, Virgil Abloh may have accrued as many detractors as he had worshipers. “Life is so short you can’t waste even a day subscribing to what someone thinks you can do versus knowing what you can do.” – Virgil Abloh

Kanye west graduation album cover artist