The show must go on. Despite the shocking and heartbreaking loss of fashion icon Virgil Abloh on Sunday, November 28th, Louis Vuitton presented his Spring-Summer 2022 collection on Tuesday night, November 30th, in Miami in his name.
Virgil was here. \nIn loving memory of Virgil Abloh, Louis Vuitton pays tribute to the life and legacy of a creative genius with a presentation of his Spring-Summer 2022 Collection in Miami on November 30th at 5:30 pm (ET).pic.twitter.com/3QwXJRkfin— Louis Vuitton (@Louis Vuitton) 1638155502
In honor of Virgil Abloh, the Louis Vuitton show has been titled "Virgil Was Here," opening the collection with a short film, in which a young Black boy bikes around an empty Miami. As he keeps biking, the music in the background grows of intensity. He briefly pauses on Key Biscayne's Crandon Park Beach, looking around...
... But quickly reprises his pedaling, until he finally reaches a red hot air balloon. After running towards it, the young boy jumps on it, ready to fly.
The show was built on an elevated platform outside the Brutalist Miami Marine Stadium and right before the models appeared, Louis Vuitton's CEO Michael Burke delivered a moving speech in honor of Abloh, saying that he was the best cultural communicator of our times.
pic.twitter.com/EVNY5W0NpB— Louis Vuitton (@Louis Vuitton) 1638416201
The models then emerged wearing the new collection in a great variety of colors. When the first portion ended, there was a fireworks display with a hot air balloon.
Various celebrities attended the show, including Kim Kardashian alongside her daughter North and her ex-husband Kanye West, Pharrell, Rihanna and Bella Hadid.
So thank you truly for sharing him with us the way that you did. Virgil\u2019s legacy will live on forever through Shannon, Lowe and Grey. pic.twitter.com/w0h6F3oe0o— Kim Kardashian West (@Kim Kardashian West) 1638221991
But perhaps the most emotional moment of the night was when the show concluded with fireworks along with final words from Abloh:
"Life is so short that you can't waste even a day subscribing to what someone thinks you can do vs. what you can do."
You can watch the entire moving presentation on Louis Vuitton's website.