Off-White, the American luxury streetwear brand founded by the late Virgil Abloh, announced on Saturday the appointment of Ibrahim Kamara as its new creative and image director.
It has been six months since Virgil Abloh‘s untimely death from a rare form of heart cancer. Since then, many rumors have circulated about who might succeed the designer at Off-White and Louis Vuitton. At Off-White, the mystery has finally been solved with the appointment of Dazed magazine’s editor-in-chief, Ibrahim Kamara or IB Kamara, who will “join a collective of creatives and oversee the brand’s artistic direction”.
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“Ibrahim’s relationship with Virgil and Off-White born and nurtured through DM messages on Instagram, blossomed both personally and professionally in the last three years creating a strong bond based on mutual respect and shared values. In the new role, he will further develop his influence and insight on the brand’s collections, image and content”, read the caption as stated, on Off-White Instagram, by Andrea Grilli, Off-White CEO.
Born in Sierra Leone, Ibrahim Kamara grew up in The Gambia before moving to London at the age of 11. Trained at the prestigious Central Saint Martins, he has collaborated with prestigious magazines like iD, System, Vogue Italia and Another. Many brands and designers, such as Riccardo Tisci, Erdem Moralioglu or Off-White also call upon his talent to style their shows. Kamara joined i-D magazine in June 2018, where he was subsequently promoted a few months later to Senior Fashion Editor-at-Large. In January 2021, he was named Editor-in-Chief of Dazed magazine, and in the same year, he received the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator at the British Fashion Council Fashion Awards.
“In the wake of Virgil’s tragic passing we have been working tirelessly to keep his legacy alive and the brand relevant as a point of reference and platform in constant evolution. Inspired by Virgil’s vision and approach to his art we have nourished a collective of creative minds that represent the best in their category and have a strong and personal connection with Virgil”, reads the post published by Andrea Grilli, CEO of Off-White. “Having Ibrahim on board, who has been part of the Off-White family for years styling our shows, to oversee art and creative of the brand in this next chapter is a great honor. With his talent and vision we look forward to taking on the next chapter of Off-White together, always remembering the groundbreaking creativity and values that Virgil had at heart and that are the core of our brand”.
“Virgil will forever be with us. With me. He changed the world and left an indelible mark on anyone who encountered him and beyond. Generous with his time, mind and creativity-he saw everyone and created with all humans in mind. I am honored to further link my ties to Off-White as their art and image director and be a part of the team that will tell the rest of the story Virgil started writing for us all”, Ibrahim Kamara said on his Instagram.