Who Was Virgil Abloh? What Happened to Him and How Was He Related to Serena Williams

Professional tennis players and fashion designers have a deep connection. Designers are often seen collaborating with big brands to provide the best apparel for tennis pros. One such renowned designer was Virgil Abloh, who has designed clothes for famous players like Serena Williams, Elina Svitolina, and so on.

The 23-time Grand Slam winner, Serena Williams shared a professional relationship with Abloh. He has often designed apparel for Williams. Let us take a detailed look at how Virgil Abloh and Serena Williams are connected.

Who was Virgil Abloh?

Virgil Abloh was a fashion designer and a businessman. In 2018, he was appointed as the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection. During his tenure, he designed some extraordinary designs for the company. Abloh also founded the Milan-based label Off-White in 2012.

He was born on 30th September 1980 in Illinois, America into a Ghanaian family. Since childhood, he was a keen learner and cultivated the art of sewing from his mother.

In 2006, he received a degree of Masters in Architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Abloh started to follow his passion for designing clothes while he was still a student.

Virgil Abloh has designed for many notable personalities throughout his fashion career. Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé, Hailey Baldwin, Gigi Hadid, Timothee Chalamet are just a few names who have donned Abloh’s designs. Moreover, he also worked for Michael Jordan and Serena Williams.

Unfortunately, on 28th November 2021, Virgil Abloh took his last breath. In 2019, Abloh was diagnosed with cardiac angiosarcoma. However, he kept it private.

Many celebrities offered their condolences over the untimely death of the genius designer.

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Tennis star Serena Williams and Virgil Abloh’s connection

Virgil Abloh partnered with Nike to design clothes for Serena Williams at the US Open in 2018. In his words, he wanted to “bring something compelling and fresh to tennis” when he took the project.

Subsequently, he also designed for her at the French Open in 2019.

In an interview at French Open in 2019, Serena said, “It’s the second time we’ve( Serena and Abloh) worked together. And it has words in it in French. It talks about me being a mom and me being a queen, as all women are. A champion. It’s positive reinforcement for me, and I kind of love that.”

The Off-White founder had also designed a beautiful dress for Elina Svitolina’s wedding. Svitolina announced her marriage to the Frenchman, Gael Monfils earlier this year.

The fashion industry is in complete shock after the sudden demise of one of the world’s finest designers. We offer our deepest condolences to his family and friends.

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