There Is NO Justice: Louis Vuitton Men's Virgil Abloh Passes From Virulent Cancer

Virgil Abloh, the founder of luxury streetwear brand Off-White and artistic director of men’s wear at Louis Vuitton, died in Houston Sunday at age 41. Abloh has battled a rare cancer cardiac angiosarcoma for two years.

Abloh’s role within LVMH “made him the most powerful Black executive in the most powerful luxury group in the world”, wrote Vanessa Friedman for the New York Times.

“We are devastated to announce the passing of our beloved Virgil Abloh, a fiercely devoted father, husband, son, brother, and friend,” a message posted on the designer’s Instagram account stated. “He is survived by his loving wife Shannon Abloh, his children Lowe Abloh and Grey Abloh, his sister Edwina Abloh, his parents Nee and Eunice Abloh, and numerous dear friends and colleagues.”

For people who didn’t know this well-kept secret — like us — news of Virgil Abloh’s passing is a grade AAA gut punch.

“Virgil is incredibly good at creating bridges between the classic and the zeitgeist of the moment,” Michael Burke, chief executive of Louis Vuitton, told The New York Times when Mr. Abloh was named to the luxury brand.

As Friedman points out, Virgil Abloh was controversial in his approach to design — not having any formal education in fashion. Abloh had no difficulties acknowledging ways in which he borrowed, built upon and transformed the designs of others into his own. He studied civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received a master’s degree in architecture from the Illinois Institute of Technology. These tools gave him a definite design perspective — which combined with superb instincts in understanding how to generate cultural currency in today’s consumer world.

To be honest, with Bernard Arnault backing him with the world’s biggest luxury brand, Louis Vuitton, I don’t think it matters all that much what “some people” thought of Abloh’s approach to design. The son of Ghanaian immigrants who lived in Rockford, Illinois, grew up immersed in skate culture and hip-hop.

Virgil Abloh’s rise was closely involved with Kanye West. Since AOC is NOT a fan of Kanye West — and less so every day — you can refresh your memory at the NYT.

In a historical timeline that Abloh shared with GQ’s Tom Bettridge, this quote resonates:

“There was a professor by the name of Louise Wilson, who was the head of the [master's program] at Central Saint Martins in London, and she was the teacher for some of the greatest designers of our time. Kanye and I sat with her, and we were like, “Hey, we want to learn the right way.” And she basically said, “You guys are idiots. You know more than my students. Why on earth would you want to go to fashion school?” But that process was sort of how we ended up interning at Fendi. And when we were there, we did all the meetings. We were off the radar in Rome, getting to work at 9 a.m. on a Monday. We did all the intern shit, and this was in the midst of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. We went to Hawaii after this period.

WSJ Magazine has a solid overview of Virgil Abloh’s work, and my link should give you access.

British Vogue EIC Edward Enninful called Abloh “a giant among men”, writing:

“Virgil Abloh changed the fashion industry. Famously prolific, he always worked for a greater cause than his own illustrious career: to open the door to art and fashion for future generations, so that they – unlike himself – would grow up in a creative world with people to mirror themselves in.”

Wondering if Ralph Lauren had weighed in yet on Abloh’s passing, AOC learned that his first design was a screenprint on a Ralph Lauren rugby shirt. Lauren was on my mind because in November 2020, I learned that one of our most prominent anti-racist voices Ibram X. Kendi has battled colon cancer.

His own revelation came a few months after ‘Black Panther’ star Chadwick Boseman died of cancer on my birthday. This is the same day — August 28 — that Emmett Louis Till was lynched beyond recognition in Mississippi in 1955.

Till didn’t die of cancer, but I’ve studied the evolving positive linkage between racism and diseases like cancer for several years now. The scientific paradigm ties the constant stress of racism in the lives of Black people to chronic inflammation in the body — similar to that of being in war for extended periods of time or a prolonged situation of verbal and/or physical abuse.

The ties between inflammation and disease — in the form of genetic damage due to inflammation — grow stronger every year, now that scientists better understand inflammation of the body and its impact on health generally.

AOC isn’t suggesting that all of these creative and masterfully talented young Black men are getting cancer because of systemic racism. But we all should at least be knowledgeable about the topic. And with Ralph Lauren being so involved for decades now in funding major cancer research projects and care, I suspect that some of his own activism is grounded in the scientific knowledge he has acquired on this very subject.

Ralph’s recent holiday 2021 campaign — one of the most activist I’ve ever seen from any luxury brand — assures me that he understands the cancer-related toll that discrimination and racism, sexism and anti-LGBTQ policies take on the human body. I really applaud Ralph’s efforts and in the case of Virgil Abloh, I literally screamed in disbelief at what I was reading. When I wrote “There is no justice,” those words are coming from a deeply emotional belief. ~ Anne

Critical Race Theory Does NOT Focus on Individual Racist Actions of White People

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Explaining Critical Race Theory: What It Is and What It Is Not AOC Blackness

A June-release study from left-leaning Media Matters for America totaled up nearly 1,300 mentions of the term ‘critical race theory’ on Fox News in 4.5 months.

In academia, critical race theorists focus on how America's history of racism and discrimination continues to impact the country today, particularly in how racism may have been brushed aside in previous historical accounts.

Few Americans — including the folks on Fox News — can actually explain critical race theory, but its focus is institutional, systemic racism in government, businesses, and even religion.

Despite being the total boogeyman that Fox News, RT News and other right-wing media say — CRT does not focus at all on the individual actions of white people.

Kimberlé Crenshaw, a law professor and central figure in the development of critical race theory, said in a recent interview that critical race theory “just says, let’s pay attention to what has happened in this country, and how what has happened in this country is continuing to create differential outcomes. … Critical Race Theory … is more patriotic than those who are opposed to it because … we believe in the promises of equality. And we know we can’t get there if we can’t confront and talk honestly about inequality.”

Anne of Carversville has a long history of writing about race, religion and political activism. From the moment we saw a YouTube video in President Obama’s 2012 presidential reelection campaign calling him the Devil and featuring the KKK in Colorado, with torches blazing denouncing him as Satan, AOC saw clearly where America is headed.

Media Matters doesn’t have the video either, but their article In 2012, Breitbart tried to use ‘critical race theory’ to take down Obama. It failed miserably’ recaps the situation as AOC remembers it.

Trust Anne of Carversville

The battle is on. I’ve moved to Virginia to be closely involved in the fight for America’s multicultural democracy. AOC’s main focus is first and foremost the facts. The alt-right bullseye in Virginia is Loudoun county outside of Washington, DC and an area that has gone blue in recent years.

It’s hell in Loudoun County.

Children’s school books are being delivered today, so that I can understand precisely what is being taught in schools. AOC will share our learnings with readers, to help them make informed decisions about ‘critical race theory’ in a post-Jan. 6 alt-right, militia movement insurrection to overturn the 2020 presidential election world.

As a young girl in Minnesota, who wept when singing ‘America the Beautiful’, I never though I would see this America in 2021. My own American experiences have taught me that the US is a far more complex country than my first-grade vision

America is in a very, very serious place in our ability to continue on as a democracy. The Trump-voters assault on every political institution is epic, imo, and I’m not wearing rose-colored glasses.

Regular readers of AOC know that I do not hesitate to criticize progressives even though I am one. For this reason, AOC has always enjoyed a solid following and significant personal support for me, among educated, suburban Republican women.

Even Republican conservative women trust AOC’s telling of the facts. We may not agree on certain values-driven topics like Planned Parenthood. But no one has ever accused AOC of making up the facts. We are complimented for being accurate and fair. And we run on no-drama Obama type writing.

AOC hopes to earn that support all over again in the coming months, as America faces its biggest challenge to our imperfect democratic institutions since the Civil War. It’s a painful time in our country, and AOC seeks to be part of the positive solution of protecting our democracy. ~ Anne

Christian Louboutin, Irdis & Sabrina Elba's Monumental 'Walk a Mile in My Shoes' Campaign

Christian Louboutin, Irdis & Sabrina Elba's Monumental 'Walk a Mile in My Shoes' Campaign

Fashion designer Christian Louboutin collaborates with close friends Irdis Elba and his wife Sabrina Elba on a superb campaign to support Black activism and philanthropy. The English actor, writer, producer, rapper, songwriter and DJ is best known for his 2018 role in ‘Black Panther’. Elba played the ruler of Wakanda, a fictional African nation with the most advanced technology. French photographer and director Julien Vallon [IG] captures the campaign.

Sabrina Elba spoke with Glamour UK about the brilliantly-conceived ‘Walk a Mile in My Shoes’ campaign from Africa, where she is doing philanthropic work with IFAD — the International Fund of Agricultural Development and the UN.

In the month of May 2021, I found myself in a discussion on The Conversation about the impacts of racism on human health. A Trump-supporting white male piped up about American Blacks constantly playing the victims and my response was “Until you’ve walked a mile in the shoes of a Black person in America, do not be accusing them of playing ‘the victim’ card.”

I didn’t add “those words reveal your own ignorant racism”, but that thought was going through my mind.

Amanda Gorman Great American Poet Inspires Reckoning of Conscience

Amanda Gorman Shocks America with Soaring Poetry

Millions around the world were shell-shocked when 22-year-old poet and Harvard grad Amanda Gorman arrived on stage to read her original poem, titled “The Hill We Climb”. Gordan was a true Goddess Rising, wearing a sunny yellow Prada coat, gifted to her as a virtual guest of the brand’s Spring 2021 show.

Paper Magazine writes that Gorman was also a speaker at the Prada Group's 2019 "Shaping a Future Sustainable Society" conference held in partnership with Yale and Politecnico di Milano. The young poet held a round table to discuss the ways businesses can navigate the changing landscape.

Amanda Gorman, the 21-Year-Old Poet Using Her Words as Weapons for Change Document Journal

Gorman, 22, is the youngest inaugural poet , following in the footsteps of other famous poets like Maya Angelou and her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” and Elizabeth Alexander.

Opray Winfrey gifted Gordon her jewelry: Nikos Koulis earrings and an Of Rare Origin “caged bird” ring, paying tribute to Maya Angelou. Oprah had gifted Maya Angelou the coat she wore at Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration and wanted to give one to Gordan as well. The young poet with multiple godmothers had already settled on the yellow Prada coat, a decision also influenced by Miuccia’s feminist credentials.

“I would be nowhere without the women whose footsteps I dance in,” Gorman tweeted. “Here’s to the women who have climbed my hills before.”

Michaela Coel Covers W Magazine 'The New Originals' November, Lensed by Tim Walker

Michaela Coel Covers W Magazine 'The New Originals' November, Lensed by Tim Walker

British actor Michaela Coel is on every list that matters this fall. She covers the current edition of W Magazine with its focus on The New Originals. The June, jaw-dropping debut of Michaela Coel’s ‘I May Destroy You’ HBO hit also put her in the current WSJ Magazine Innovators list and earned her a spot on the TIME 100.

‘I May Destroy You’ narrates the story of Coel’s own sexual assault after her drink is spiked at a bar. A long list of critics bears witness to Coel’s leader of a generation talents and her ”unique ability to distill what could have been an unbearable treatise on the nature of trauma into a sharp, funny, complex, deeply personal show about the nature of existence.”

In her groundbreaking lecture at the 2018 Edinburgh International Television Festival, Coel spoke about her assault publicly for the first time. Not dwelling on the blast of authentic, personal history permeating through her audience, the actor then used the rest of her 53 minutes address share her experiences with racism growing up in London, enrolling in a mostly white drama school, and also as a young actor and TV writer.

The entire video is shared in yesterday’s article about the event, in which Coel also held her audience captive with the story of more than one bag of shit left at her family’s front door and also in the mail box.

Photographer Tim Walker captures these intense portraits of the actor for the November issue of W Magazine, with styling by Sam Walker. Playwright, actor, producer and now budding director Jeremy O. Harris, whose Broadway stunner ‘Slave Play’ earned an outstanding 12 Tony nominations, interviews Michaela Coel. / Makeup by Sam Bryant; hair by Cyndia Harvey

How Michaela Coel Stunned the British TV Industry, Calling Out Racism and Sexism

How Michaela Coel Stunned the British TV Industry, Calling Out Racism and Sexism

As the Edinburgh TV Festival delegates took their seats for the 43rd MacTaggart Lecture, you could hear the murmurs of anticipation. For the first time since these lectures began in 1976, the keynote speaker was young, black and female.

At last the British broadcasting industry was acknowledging the need to address issues of diversity and inclusion from this prestigious platform by inviting a young British comedian from east London to take the floor. As he introduced her, Philip Edgar-Jones from Sky Arts acknowledged that the choice of Michaela Coel “truly breaks new ground, making you wonder what we’ve been doing all these years”.

Over the next 45 minutes Coel gave a brave and challenging talk, presenting a revealing account of her own journey as a young creative talent from an immigrant Ghanaian family in Tower Hamlets. Famous as the award-winning screenwriter, producer and star of the E4 sitcom Chewing Gum, her skin colour, gender, age (just 30), and the relatively short time she has worked in television, all indicate very different credentials that set her apart from her predecessors.

Ulla Johnson Fall 2020 Campaign by Yelena Yemchuk | Ulla's Tears for Jacob Blake

Ulla Johnson Fall 2020 Campaign by Yelena Yemchuk | Ulla's Tears for Jacob Blake

The spirits of female nomads permeate Ulla Johnson’s Fall 2020 collection, filmed in this new campaign video , shot in the unfamiliar terrain of Long Island’s North Fork and starring Indira Scott and Jordan Daniels. April Hughes styles the shoot with images by Yelena Yemchuk.

AOC is not surprised to visit Ulla Johnson’s Instagram and immediately discover a tribute to Jacob Blake. Any designer who works with artisans in Peru and Kenya, while living in Ft. Green, Brooklyn is probably committed to the Black Lives Matter movement. Ulla writes:

“This is Jacob Blake. He was shot seven times in the back in front of his children. The cycle of violence in our country must come to an end. The moment is now for us to join our voices in unison to demand change at the local, state, and federal level, to cast out the current regime, to retrain our police officers, to fund our social workers, to unite our actions against a system that perpetuates racist violence.”

At this moment, Anne hears activists in Washington, DC gathered on this important day in America’s racial history. Jacob Blake’s sister is speaking, as he lies in a hospital bed paralyzed— BUT SHACKLED !!! — to his bed.

August 28: Anne’s Annual Day of Reflection

Today is the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, held in Washington, DC on Wednesday, August 28, 1963. It’s also the anniversary of the brutal murder of the young, 14-year-old Emmett Till in 1955.

It’s also my birthday, and so the day of August 28, — one that should be spent in quiet celebration — is always a day of deep reflection for me about America’s original sin of slavery. Even more painful is the reality that decades later systemic racism is worse than ever in our country — best exemplified by the presidency of Donald Trump.

Billie Eilish in British GQ July-August 2020 | Eilish Supports Black Lives Matter

Billie Eilish in British GQ July-August 2020 | Eilish Supports Black Lives Matter

Billie Eilish covers the July/August 2020 issue of British GQ. Danielle Levitt is behind the lens with styling by Samantha Burkhart.

If you’ve never read a Billie Eilish interview, then this one is for you.

Written by Jonathan Heaf, it’s long and very in-depth. In 2019 at age 17, Billie Ailish’s album sold more than any other in America and she hit six billion streams on Spotify. This year she is tagged as the youngest artist to win four Grammys at once. And her classic Bond theme ‘No Time To Die’ morphs into a Boomer-approved musical panorama with widespread appeal.

At this moment (6/16/2020 2:07 PM) Billie Eilish is in a rage over the Friday night murder of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta. Generally-speaking Eilish has joined the army of white people disgusted with white people. AOC has been in that camp since our founding in 2007, and we’re devoted to turning the tide of racism in America and beyond.

Serena Williams Steps Up For Vital Voices; Alexis Ohanian Sr. Resigns Reddit Board

Serena Williams Steps Up For Vital Voices; Alexis Ohanian Sr. Resigns Reddit Board

Tennis legend, black activist, fashion designer — and yes, now venture capitalist — Serena Williams became the global spokeswoman for Stuart Weitzman in early May. Photographer Ethan James Green captures Serena in campaign images that present her fierce power and beauty unbowed.

The power of the project for Serena lies in Stuart Weitzman’s alliance with the Vital Voices Global Partnership  Tapped to choose two women leaders to participate with her in the campaign, Williams tapped Ashlee Wisdom and Sage Ke’alohilani Quiamno. Wisdom is the founder of  Health in Her Hue, a platform that connects black women to culturally competent health-care providers. Ke’alohilani Quiamno, founder of Future for Us, a civic organization that gives women of color the tools to succeed in the highest levels of corporate and social-sector careers.

Alexis Ohanian Sr. Resigns from Reddit Board

It’s Serena Williams’ husband Alexis Ohanian Sr.that made the big news today — June 8 — as word of his resignation from the board of directors of Reddit traveled through media channels. The co-founder of Reddit recommended that his spot be filled by a Black candidate amid activists’ calls for more representation of BlPOC in positions of power in global companies.

"I co-founded Reddit 15 years ago to help people find community and a sense of belonging," Ohanian wrote across his social media channels, pulling from a blog post on his site. "It is long overdue to do the right thing. I'm doing this for me, for my family, and for my country." Along with the statement to the public, Ohanian embedded a video message from his Instagram account onto his blog entry, and in it he reiterates his original statement.

Pyer Moss by Kerby Jean-Raymond Covers Blanc Magazine Winter 2020

Pyer Moss by Kerby Jean-Raymond Covers Blanc Magazine Winter 2020

Pyer Moss was founded in 2013 by Haitian-American, New York-born fashion designer Kerby Jean-Raymond, who describes his brand as an “art project” or “a timely social experiment” at times. Pyer Moss aims to use its voice and platform to challenge social narratives and evoke dialogue. The Pyer Moss collections are produced in New York City, Italy and Portugal.

In September 2018, Pyer Moss invited Fashion Week to Weeksville, the historic black neighborhood in Brooklyn, Pyer Moss showed the second installment of the designer’s “American, Also” series, a three-part series of collections addressing the erasure of African American narratives in popular culture to critical acclaim. Vogue called the show “the best of the season”.

In mid-2019 Jean-Raymond became a “thought partner” as artistic director of Reebok Studies.

In this special Blanc Magazine Winter 2020 Blanc Magazine cover story, models Faith Jaggernauth and Lang Jobe are lensed by photographers Teneshia Carr and Vanessa Zican Feng. / Makeup by Christyna Kay

Blanc Magazine sends a message that resonates on this Martin Luther King Day .

Octavia Spencer Stars As Madam CJ Walker, First US Woman Self-Made Millionaire on Netflix

In 1910, Madam C.J. Walker, the black haircare pioneer and business mogul, became America’s first female self-made millionaire. Note that she did not become the first black woman millionaire, but the first WOMAN, American-made millionaire.

The daughter of former slaves, Madam Walker was born into freedom, just a few years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by US President Abraham Lincoln, abolishing slavery as America approached its third year of a bloody Civil War.

The four-part series is inspired by the biography,’ On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C. J. Walker’, written by Walker’s great-great-granddaughter A’Lelia Bundles. Actor Octavia Spencer stars as the iconic businesswoman, Blair Underwood as her husband C.J. Walker, and Tiffany Haddish as her daughter Lelia. 

The series will premiere on March 20 on Netflix. Watch this interview of A’Lelia Bundles about Madame Walker by economist, writer and syndicated columnist Julianne Malveaux.

Michaela Coel Launches Hugo Blick Netflix Drama 'Black Earth Rising' On Rwandan Genocide

Michaela Coel wears Asai top and pants, and Georgiana Scott earrings. Photographed by Laura Coulson, Vogue, February 2019. Styling by Charlotte Roberts.

The February 2019 issue of Vogue US touches base with writer and actor Michaela Coel in a small cafe near her London apartment. AOC first met up with the Bafta-winning actor Coel in the February issue of British Vogue. Her essay ‘Flight Or Fight: Michaela Coel On Why We Need To Talk About Race’ was calming, as she dug deeper into the topic of ‘white privilege’ and racial stereotypes than the usual talking heads. I can learn from Michaela Coel.

"We are not campaigning for you to hand over your money, job, Upper Class flights and land... rather it’s the freeing of your minds from history we want"

Coel, now 31, rose to fame in Britain in the “semiautobiographical and widkedly funny TV series ‘Chewing Gum’. After dropping out of university twice, Coel ended up in drama school. So totally disenchanted with the roles offered to her, she wrote her own one-woman theatrical show, one that eventually became ‘Chewing Gum’.

‘Black Earth Rising’

Her latest TV project ‘Black Earth Rising’ is an eight-part drama by Hugo Blick, in which Coel plays Kate Ashby, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide. The series will debut on Netflix January 25.

Kate is raised as the adopted daughter of Eve (Harriet Walter), a British barrister, who joins forces with her colleague Michael (John Goodman) take on the prosecution of an African warlord who played a role in ending the genocide.

In the series, Kate has to reevaluate her ideas of right and wrong, which is perhaps why she wrote such an insightful essay on race a year ago. “This role changed me as a person,” she says.

Her next project is a twelve-part drama looking at sexual consent in the #MeToo era. Cole is the sole writer for the series, one that is inspired by her own experience of a 2016 sexual assault by strangers. “It was horrific,” Coel says about the attack. “I needed two and a half years away from the event to write about it.” Coel engages—on Instagram—with her fans, many of whom have shared with her their own experience of harassment. “I really wish to give this as a gift to them,” she says. Read on at Vogue US.

Actor Michael Coel photographed by Laura Coulson, Vogue, February 2019 Styling by Charlotte Roberts.

Adidas Three Stripes Campaign by Pharrell Williams Implores Us | Don't Be Quiet Please

adidas Three Stripes Campaign by Pharrell Williams Implores Us | Don't Be Quiet Please AOC Fashion

Pharrell Williams, tennis legend Stan Smith and adidas Tennis want to reinvigorate the world through the power of love and positivity. The Three Stripes  (Don't Be) QUIET PLEASE campaign launched Saturday at Frederick Johnson Community Court in Harlem. adidas brought together some of its most talented tennis athletes: Garbiñe Muguruza, Angelique Kerber, Sascha Zverev, Dominic Thiem and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and the local youth to launch its new campaign.

Three Stripes collaborator Pharrell Williams’ is launching his first performance tennis collection, bringing tennis into the modern world -- much as the Williams sisters have done. As a huge Hillary Clinton supporter and 2016 presidential campaigner, Pharrell Williams knows that equality, community, and sportsmanship are core to everything he stands for -- and citizen activism is a must. Three Stripes is a tennis collection that seeks to elicit an emotional connection around our shared humanity through art and design. The premium collection will be available at adidas and Billionaire Boys Club flagships, adidas.com, and select retailers globally August 31st.

Adidas and Pharrell Williams announced a community program including the restoration of a New York City tennis court through a donation to the NYC Parks and children's tennis scholarships in partnership with Court16 and Horizons.