The Virgil Abloh: The Codes exhibition will transform the Grand Palais in Paris into a retrospective of one of the most influential creative minds of the 21st century. Opening on September 30, 2025—what would have been Abloh’s 45th birthday—this exhibition is the first major European show dedicated exclusively to the late designer’s multidisciplinary work.
Representing a collaboration between the Virgil Abloh Archive™ and Nike, the exhibition draws from an extraordinary collection of 20,000 archival elements spanning nearly two decades of Abloh’s creative output. Visitors will encounter hundreds of objects, prototypes, sketches, and images from Abloh’s career, as well as pieces from his personal collections and library.
“This exhibition is only the beginning of our work to share Virgil’s legacy and principles with the creative community and the world,” said Shannon Abloh, CEO of Virgil Abloh Securities and founder of the Virgil Abloh Foundation. “Sharing his personal collection, his unfinished projects, and his masterpieces with the public is a monumental way to celebrate Virgil’s legacy and his commitment to making information accessible and collaborative.”
Building upon the 2022 version of Virgil Abloh: The Codes, the exhibition expands its scope to illustrate how Abloh’s distinctive design principles, or “codes,” permeated his work in fashion, footwear, architecture, music, advertising, and more. These codes unified a practice that refused traditional boundaries between disciplines.
Curated by Chloé Sultan and Mahfuz Sultan, the exhibition runs through October 10, 2025. It offers visitors insight into the collaborative spirit that defined Abloh’s creative approach. The exhibition highlights his partnerships with various artists, designers, and athletes, demonstrating how collective dialogue remained central to his methodology.
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“The codes are the soul of Virgil’s legacy. They are at the heart of the Archive™ site,” explained Athiththan Selvendran, director of operations at Virgil Abloh Securities and creative director of the Virgil Abloh Foundation. “The codes tell the story of the creative intentions and archival practices that shaped Virgil’s identity. They guide us, reminding us that collectivity and accessibility must be at the center of our collaborations and expressions.”
The choice of Paris is particularly significant for understanding Abloh’s creative development. Mahfuz Sultan, director of the Virgil Abloh Archive™, described the exhibition as “a return to sources of inspiration and a love letter to the city that shaped his work.” The Grand Palais venue lends institutional weight to this homecoming, situating Abloh’s work within the broader context of French cultural heritage.
Led by Shannon Abloh, the Virgil Abloh Archive™ houses the comprehensive collection that makes this exhibition possible. The archive serves as a preservation tool and an active resource, designed to maintain Abloh’s ideas and make them accessible to future generations of creatives. Its mission centers on advancing public understanding of Abloh’s creative legacy and ensuring his methodologies remain available for study and inspiration.
Beyond the physical exhibition, a series of publications and public programs will accompany the display. These include dialogues, workshops, performances, and screenings that will allow for deeper engagement with the exhibition’s themes and bring together voices from Abloh’s extended creative community.
The exhibition comes at a time when Abloh’s influence continues to reshape creative industries. His design approach, characterized by quotation marks, zip ties, and bold typography, became a visual language that transcended fashion to influence architecture, art, and commercial design. The codes he developed represent a systematic approach to creativity that others continue to study and adapt.
The Virgil Abloh Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that works to continue Abloh’s commitment to equity and inclusion within creative fields. Through partnerships and educational programs, the foundation aims to create more equitable spaces for underrepresented young creatives and cultural leaders.
Support for the exhibition comes from the Virgil Abloh Foundation and Nike, reflecting the collaborative partnerships that defined Abloh’s career. These relationships demonstrate how Abloh’s influence extended across corporate and cultural boundaries, creating new models for creative collaboration.
The exhibition’s opening on Abloh’s birthday adds commemorative significance to what promises to be a notable cultural event. For individuals interested in understanding contemporary creativity across disciplines, the Grand Palais exhibition provides unparalleled access to the working methods of a figure who fundamentally changed how we perceive creative practice.
Visitors will encounter not only finished works, but also the processes behind them: sketches, prototypes, and unfinished projects that reveal Abloh’s iterative approach. This transparency aligns with his belief that creative processes should be accessible rather than hidden behind institutional walls.
The exhibition represents the first chapter in the ongoing effort to share Virgil’s methodology with global creative communities, as Shannon Abloh calls it. The archive’s public initiatives, launching in fall 2025, suggest that this exhibition is the beginning of a longer conversation about how creative knowledge is preserved and transmitted.