Shaun White’s fledgling snowboard company Whitespace is already collaborating with one of the biggest names in the fashion industry, Louis Vuitton. When Shaun was hatching plans to build his own brand he reached out the recently deceased LV artistic director Virgil Abloh for guidance. Shaun shared a touching story about the collaboration and will be rocking the luggage in Beijing as an homage to Virgil.
“A huge thank you to everyone on the Louis Vuitton team for making my dream come true. But most of all, Thank you, Virgil. Rest in Power, my friend.” –Shaun White
I am so excited to announce this Whitespace_create and Louis Vuitton project.
I had the privilege of meeting Virgil training at Mammoth Mountain. We quickly became friends over a shared passion for snowboarding and design. I was thinking about launching Whitespace, so I called Virgil to ask his advice. He was so supportive. He loved the name and the creative direction I was going in. I was so honored to receive feedback from such a visionary and someone who I admire and respect so much. During the call, I told Virgil, “It’s always wanted to make a Louis Vuitton snowboard trunk,” to which he replied, “No effin way!!! We have to make this happen”.
When he saw the signature white stripe design that we will be using across all Whitespace products, Virgil was inspired and suggested we paint it over the black LV embossed monogram leather. So much heavy lifting went into the design of this snowboard trunk. We wanted to make it lightweight yet functional while keeping it in line with the classic vintage Louis Vuitton luggage style. In the short time, we knew each other, Virgil had an infectious energy and excitement when we talked about design.
His passing came as a shock to everyone. It saddens me to know he never got to see the finished product, but I know that he would have loved it. I’m going to run it proudly in his memory as I get ready to travel to the Olympics for my 5th and final time. A huge thank you to everyone on the Louis Vuitton team for making my dream come true. But most of all, Thank you, Virgil. Rest in Power, my friend. #VirgilWasHere
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Rest in Power Virgil.