Madison Reporter

Virgil Abloh, the UW-Madison alum who made it big in the fashion world with his fusions of high-end couture with streetwear, has died at 41 of cancer.

"We mourn Virgil Abloh, fashion designer and UWMadison alum, who died today. But we also remember how he inspired us all with his vision and hard work," UW-Madison tweeted.

Abloh graduated from UW-Madison in 2003 with an engineering degree. He made waves in the music industry as DJ Flat White and worked as Kanye West's creative director for more than 10 years. His clothing label Off-White was the only American finalist for the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy award.

A first-generation Ghanaian American, Abloh became the first Black artistic director of men's wear at Louis Vuitton in 2018. Even though Abloh had no formal training in fashion, his mother was a seamstress who was also the one who taught him to sew.

Celebrities including Kim Kardashian posted heartfelt tributes after learning of his death. Kardashian posted on Instagram with the caption: "God doesn't make mistakes. I know that but I still can't help but ask why. Why Virgil?! Why him so soon? It's simply hard to understand why. I have a hard time understanding why so many pure souls were taken away so early. Virgil – you were always so gentle, kind and calm. You somehow made time for everyone. We also talked about your superpower of calmness often. You always gave so much of yourself to the world because you wanted it to be doper. This one is hard to process. I can't even believe I am writing this. … We will miss you so much Virgil and love you so much."