Off-White is a luxury fashion label founded by Virgil Abloh, former artistic director of menswear for Louis Vuitton.
If you haven’t heard of it you really should have! Not only does it produce some impressive designs, but it has also collaborated with some of the biggest names and companies in the fashion industry!
The Off-White History
The company was originally founded in 2012, as a “young” business compared to many of the great fashion brands. As said it was created by an American designer, Virgil Abloh, and incorporated in Milan in 2012, making it an authentic Italian business.
Abloh is an architect and started his fashion career with an internship at Fendi in Chicago back in 2009. From that moment on, his career turned into something really great.
Focusing again on Off-White fashion brand, there are currently 49 Off-White stores but the brand is carried by many high-street stores including Harrods, Selfridges or Le Bon Marche.
The name is a direct stab at the luxury fashion industry where many things are seen in a black and white context. It should be noted that this doesn’t refer to the clothing, but that many of the bigger fashion designers see collections, copyright, and other legal issues in black and white. Abloh was deliberately pointing out there are plenty of gray (or Off-white) areas in between.
The name also relates to the idea of changing tact and find new inspiration by adopting a different direction. In this instance the gray, or off-white, area relates to transforming a standard silhouette into something unique.
Off-White has partnered with a huge number of brands and designers, including Nike, Levi, Moncler, Timberland, Evian, Converse and with the Italian fashion retailer TheDoubleF.
The clothing itself is generally recognizable from their fondness of using quotation marks, zip ties, four-way arrows, and buckle belt patterns.
However, the modern range is much less distinctive and more conformist, while still maintain appeal to the younger generation.
Within the collection you’ll find an impressive range of accessories.
The Intended Market
There’s a little doubt that the original market for Off-White was intended to be young millennials. However, the style of the Off-White brand has become appealing to people of all generations.
What is interesting is that, despite creating a solid customer base, it is now reaching new heights of popularity. For instance, the recent collaboration with Nike saw more than 250,000 social media mentions. Alongside that the popularity boost meant many lines were sold out, creating an opportunity on resale apps for huge profits as people resale at a markup of as much as 450%!
The brand was built on irony. Things like the little black dress having “Little Black Dress” printed on it or a scarf with “scarf”. Perhaps it’s because of this irony that people are willing to pay $1,000 for a sweatshirt.
One thing appears certain, the future for the Off-White fashion brand is in full color. With celebrities like Marc Jacob’s and Julia Roberts endorsing the brand, it’s no wonder the rich can’t get enough of this brand.