About
Overview
The late, creative visionary Virgil Abloh fundamentally reshaped how we see creativity and the world around us and wove advocacy and philanthropy into so much of what he did. Throughout his life, he was committed to uplifting Black voices and diverse perspectives and creating systemic change in traditionally white spaces, opening doors and keeping them open for the young creatives of color who would come after him.
The Virgil Abloh Foundation (VAF) was created to continue his work and honor Virgil’s legacy. Through international partnerships, programming and advocacy, we strive to build lasting, systemic change within creative industries, build more equitable and inclusive spaces and create space for young creatives of color to become the next cultural leaders and changemakers — all in pursuit of a limitless creative future.
When creativity melds together with global issues, I believe you can bring the world together.
Mission & Vision
As the ultimate multi-hyphenate, Virgil transformed industries, built category-creating brands and advanced equity, collaboration and inclusivity across disciplines. Virgil and his wife Shannon believed deeply in the power of creativity to inspire future generations and in the adaptability of the creative industry to foster change.
To continue this work, the Virgil Abloh Foundation was created with a mission to open doors, break barriers and build a more equitable and inclusive industry for diverse youth and cultural leaders in pursuit of a limitless creative future.
Building from Virgil’s ethos and example, the foundation’s vision is an age of boundless creative diversity and a limitless creative future.
You know who I am most inspired by? That kid that hasn’t had the chance to showcase their brand yet. Those kids motivate the work I do every day. That’s the muse for me: the next generation. And I want my work to inspire people like them
Values
Collaborative
We believe that collaboration is foundational in everything we do.
“I use collaboration as an outright tool for community building, in plain sight. I speak about it so that other people can look at what we have the power to do – to write our own narrative, and exemplify and glorify our work.”
Strategic
We design strategies and programs that are modern, open-minded and solutions-driven.
“I'm looking for something that is open-minded and modern. Lead us to better solutions in the future… Basically, I'm saying divorce the past.”
Inclusive
We disrupt systems and industries to demand greater inclusivity.
“I wish that when I was a student, one person would have given me one ounce of advice that wasn’t: ‘The rest of your career will be an uphill battle.’ But instead: ‘There are all these shortcuts that you can take.’ ”
Creative
We embrace and harness the creativity within all of us.
“Anyone who has a will to create is an artist.”
Visionary
We envision a limitless future for generations to come.
“A lot of people think it's difficult and the mountain is too high. But it's actually not that scary. If you build your own Trojan horse and you move together.”