Abloh is taking huge strides towards educating young creatives.
Virgil Abloh is no stranger to a headline. Perhaps the most prominent black figure in fashion right now, his actions have been heavily scrutinised and equally praised during the Black Lives Matter movement that not only brought attention to racial inequality throughout America, but also revealed an inherent class divide within the fashion industry.
Unlike a lot of his peers, Abloh has made significant inroads to addressing this divide and
inequality with the launch of his new mentorship program “Free Game” – an online space
providing free education for aspiring creatives in an industry where he has personally
excelled.
“As part of my long-standing initiative to see design, art, and culture more inclusive to young Black designers and those coming from non-traditional backgrounds, I wanted to assist in providing the means for them to advance on the road to ownership of their ideas and brands,” Abloh said in a statement.
Despite famously declaring that streetwear, as we know it, is dead, Abloh has nevertheless
committed himself to mentoring the next generation of fashion professionals by offering
“the ability to consider a step-by-step guide to building their brand based on [Abloh’s] past
experience.”
The website essentially provides links to instructional YouTube videos offering a complete guide to starting a streetwear brand. They cover topics like choosing a fitting name and obtaining a trademark, to the actual procedure of procuring clothes, screen printing, as well as general advice from Abloh himself. The result is a space that “supply[s] Black students an education in fashion.”
The initiative comes off the back of another one of Abloh’s philanthropic endeavours; the
Virgil Ablohâ„¢ï¸ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund, which will assist Black students in pursuing careers in fashion. Both initiatives highlight the designer’s approach to giving back to his community: no gimmicks, just straight-up life-impacting change with no strings attached. The website will be continually updated with new information with the aim of betterment of all-access knowledge.
