Virgil Abloh ( / æ b l oʊ / ; born September 30, 1980) is an American fashion designer , DJ, and music producer who has been the artistic director of Louis Vuitton 's men's wear collection since March 2018. Apart from his work at Louis Vuitton, Abloh serves as the chief executive officer of the Milan -based label Off-White , a fashion house he founded in 2013. He entered the world of fashion with an internship at Fendi in 2009 alongside rapper Kanye West . The two then began an artistic collaboration that would launch Abloh's career into founding Off-White. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018.