{"id":3612,"date":"2022-08-04T17:04:25","date_gmt":"2022-08-04T09:04:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cherry-insights.com\/media\/?p=3612"},"modified":"2023-05-23T16:13:50","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T08:13:50","slug":"what-is-off-whites-place-in-china-without-virgil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cherry-insights.com\/media\/?p=3612","title":{"rendered":"What Is Off-White\u2019s Place In China Without Virgil?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Virgil Abloh\u2019s cult of personality helped secure Off-White\u2019s status as a leading luxury brand. Eight months after his passing, can the label grow without him? Photo: Off-White<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When Virgil Abloh passed away in November 2021, it sent ripples through the world. Fashion insiders, celebrities, and fans collectively mourned the loss of the 41-year-old maverick who was subverting traditions and paving the way for a more inclusive \u2014 and frankly, cooler \u2014 luxury industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A designer who blurred the genres of luxury and streetwear, Abloh had served as the artistic director of Louis Vuitton\u2019s menswear since 2018 in addition to helming Off-White, the brand he founded in 2012. His touch permeated pop culture, from his use of quotation marks to the constant collaborations. LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault praised him as a \u201cgenius designer, a visionary,\u201d while the New York Times called him \u201cthe Karl Lagerfeld for millennials.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

RECOMMENDED READING<\/small>Virgil Abloh\u2019s Final Show Brings Us Home<\/a>By Enrique Menendez<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Unsurprisingly, news of his death spread quickly through China. Some fans posted goodbye messages on his Xiaohongshu<\/a> account and left flowers at local Off-White stores. Others rushed to snag his iconic collabs as resale prices started to skyrocket within hours<\/a>: pairs of the Off-White x Converse 2.0 sneakers doubled, and the Off-White x Air Jordan 1 \u201cChicago,\u201d which usually sold for 63,000 RMB, leapt to 470,000 RMB ($69,650).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eight months on, Off-White has appointed Ib Kamara as its new image and art director while Louis Vuitton continues to search for a replacement. But while the French luxury house long predates Abloh, Off-White was tied more closely to his cult of personality. So, how does a young company survive beyond its founder? And will Chinese consumers welcome the new leadership?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Off-White\u2019s posthumous playbook<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like in the rest of the world, the Milan-based label gained popularity in China on the backs of celebrity endorsements. \u201cThe success of a brand is highly driven by the times it lives in,\u201d explained Jinfan Zhang, a luxury communication specialist. \u201cAccelerated by social commerce and Chinese fandom culture around 2017, Chinese street culture was thriving, reflected by the local millennials that were hyper-interested in the streetwear endorsed by Chinese A-list celebs like Kris Wu and Edison Chen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, of course, there\u2019s Abloh himself. Although Zhang notes that a designer\u2019s personal celebrity often has little influence on brand awareness in China, Joyce Gu, a market researcher at Cherry Blossoms Intercultural Branding<\/a>, believes Abloh was a rare decisive factor in giving Off-White a foothold in the country. \u201cVirgil Abloh kept interacting with his fans and sharing his inspiration, thus creating an authentic persona, not only as a designer but also as a mentor and motivator,\u201d she told Jing Daily<\/em>. \u201cAbloh\u2019s personality gives the brand a deeper level of vitality that drives Chinese consumers, especially the younger ones, to pay for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, Off-White does have avenues to maintain relevance without him. For starters, it helps to have some of the biggest luxury players in its corner. In July 2021, LVMH acquired a 60 percent majority stake in the business, bringing the resources to help it expand into new categories such as homeware, eyewear, and beauty<\/a>. There\u2019s also Farfetch which, after purchasing luxury holding company New Guards Group in 2019, has helped Off-White achieve double-digit growth<\/a> through digital channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Off-White entered the beauty category in April 2022 with the release of a new genderless range called \u201cPaperwork.\u201d Photo: Off-White\u2019s Weibo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, Abloh didn\u2019t leave Off-White without any creative guidance. \u201cThe number of ideas that we have directly from him \u2014 that were unmanageable on a daily, weekly and monthly basis [through WhatsApp] \u2014 it\u2019s endless,\u201d stated Off-White CEO Andrea Grilli to Business of Fashion<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The price of legacy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ghanian-American\u2019s clout has trickled over to price tags as well. Take the Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 sneakers for example: representing one of the last sneaker designs of Abloh\u2019s career, 200 pairs sold at a Sotheby\u2019s auction for a record-breaking $25.3 million in February. When they were later made available to the public, the coveted kicks were priced as high as 93,000 RMB ($13,739), or more than double their retail price, on Chinese platform Dewu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSneaker collectors continue to seek out the best of the best, and nowhere was that more evident than with this special sale honoring Virgil Abloh,\u201d explained Brahm Wachter, Sotheby\u2019s Head of Streetwear and Modern Collectibles. \u201cMany of Abloh\u2019s designs are really timeless, and he had a clear singular vision. When I think about collectibles, sometimes those are the things that matter most.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This distinct aesthetic has boosted the value Off-White products too, with the recently released Off-White x Nike Air Force 1 Low \u201cLight Green Spark\u201d listed on StockX for over $3,000 (versus a $160 retail price). Outside of the sneaker realm, the artist\u2019s Unique \u201cEfflorescence\u201d Desk<\/a> achieved $151,200 in a Sotheby\u2019s auction in May, reflecting continued interest in his works across categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Abloh\u2019s Unique \u201cEfflorescence\u201d Desk, which sold for $151,200, blurs the lines between sculptural and functional furniture. Photo: Sotheby\u2019s<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The era of Ib Kamara<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Abloh\u2019s popularity has bolstered certain products, it\u2019s too soon to say how Kamara\u2019s Off-White will fare. He is less recognizable in China than Abloh, but his appointment still generated a lot of buzz in Chinese fashion communities. Moreover, the Sierra Leone-born, London-based fashion stylist has been working with Off-White for years, and it\u2019s unlikely the brand will stray too far from what consumers love about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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View this post on Instagram<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A post shared by Off-White\u2122 (@off____white)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

What should be of greater concern than this reorganization, Zhang points out, is the declining hype around streetwear<\/a> \u2014 something Abloh himself predicted. With the resurgence of COVID leading to more \u201crational and more value-centric spending, Off-White along with other brands are living on a trend that may be gradually ousted by Chinese consumers,\u201d Zhang said. Gu reiterated the changes to street culture, stating that the \u201cexploration of diversity and the building of a core identity will remain the key to the longevity of the brand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How long Kamara sticks to plentiful collaborations and quotation marks remains to be seen. But while visuals may change over the years, especially as the brand develops multiple luxury lines, Abloh\u2019s spirit will live on. Just as Louis Vuitton evolved after the death of its founder \u2014 becoming so much more than a luggage maker \u2014 so too can Off-White. After all, Abloh left a solid foundation in his stead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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via: https:\/\/jingdaily.com\/off-white-virgil-abloh-china-legacy\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What Is Off-White\u2019s Place In China Without Virgil?<\/a><\/blockquote>