Robin Givhan's Book on Virgil Abloh Reveals a Profound Side of the Late Designer

A new fashion book is hitting the shelves late June, unlike any out there right now. Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Robin Givhan offers a new perspective on the late designer Virgil Abloh in her new title, Make It Ours.

Chronicling his iconic and inspirational, Givhan examines the broader ideas of the fashion industry and the role of streetwear and designers in breaking down barriers. Abloh’s story spans beyond his tragic passing and into the unending legacy that he has had on the fashion world. His creative ideas that continue to inspire along with the entire upending of definition of modern luxury.

"Life is so short that you can't waste even a day subscribing to what someone thinks you can do, versus knowing what you can do," Abloh once said. The renowned Washington Post senior critic-at-large paints the picture of the man who lived this truly. 

In 2018, Abloh was appointed to be the artistic director for Louis Vuitton, which made him the first Black person to be in that position in the brand’s entire 164 year history. This came after decades of hard work and legacy-building in the industry, however, and Givhan chronicles that journey and what it took to live the impressive life that he did before an untimely passing in 2021 due to cancer.

For the book, Givhan spoke to Abloh's family, friends, and an array of industry voices, including designer and Savile Row tailor Ozwald Boateng and even Kanye West, who was a mentor of Abloh's. She pays special attention, too, to the generational story at play, with an intersectional lens on Abloh being raised by Ghanian immigrant parents. 

Make It Ours: Crashing the Gates of Culture with Virgil Abloh offers a new look at the late designer's incredible legacy that reaches far beyond fashion. It's available to shop starting Tuesday and retails for $35.