Off-White is an Italian luxury streetwear brand founded by the late American designer Virgil Abloh.
Abloh became a household name in the fashion industry due to his time as creative director of LVMH’s Italian luxury brand, Louis Vuitton, and later for developing his own brand, Off-White.
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With the birth of his innovative fashion brand, Abloh successfully introduced streetwear into the luxury fashion world unlike any other, earning the designer a spot among the top designers in the fashion world.
His hard-working nature, undeniable style, and unique fashion sense granted him the respect and recognition he still holds today.
Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, left.
Virgil Abloh: a tragic death that came too soon
As Abloh was quickly rising to the peak of his career, he unfortunately passed away on Nov. 28, 2021, at the young age of 41, after a two-year battle against a cancer called cardiac angiosarcoma.
Although Abloh passed away only nine years after the inception of his clothing brand, the luxury fashion world was not willing to let his young legacy die, either.
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To continue his legacy, Off-White appointed a new creative director, but the choice proved to be uninspiring.
In 2022, the former editor-in-chief of Dazed Magazine, Ib Kamara, stepped up to the creative role of art and image director for Off-White, but his new vision failed to connect with the beloved brand’s target audience.
No matter how hard the luxury world tried to continue managing Abloh’s legacy, the brand has not had the same impact without his creative leadership.
The tumultuous brand has moved around
Off-White was initially owned by the Milan-based New Guards Group, which also had an exclusive licensing deal, since 2014.
However, that ended after the London-based e-commerce company Farfetch acquired the streetwear brand in 2019.
In December that year, Farfetch was bought by the South Korean e-commerce company Coupang.
LVMH has a long history with Abloh, as the company gave him the opportunity to showcase his talent, so in 2021, the same year of his death, the fashion house brought a majority of the brand by increasing its stake to 60%, with Farfetch still holding the remaining 40%.
LVMH offloads Off-White by closing a deal with its rival
Inching closer to the third anniversary of his death, LVMH made the tough decision to slim down select areas of its business after earnings didn’t turn out as expected.
On Monday, LVMH (LVMHF) announced it would sell its Off-White stake to the brand management company Bluestar Alliance.
Bluestar Alliance’s portfolio includes renowned brands such as Bebe, Tahari, Hurley, Scotch & Soda, and Justice.
The new acquisition would allow Abloh’s legacy to continue to live on through Off-White.
However, this new partnership does have some issues since Off-White is not in the same realm as any of the other brands the company already owns.
Bluestar Alliance’s brands are not in the luxury market; they are lower-priced and can be found at most local shopping malls, department stores, and even some discount retailers.
Another concerning detail is that Bluestar Alliance is known for buying shaky brands and licensing them to be sold at a lower price.
This prompts the question of whether Off-White will remain in the luxury market or be downgraded to a discounted label.
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On top of the already concerning factors surrounding Bluestar Alliance, the company also has a troubled past.
In 2016, Bluestar Alliance was sued by fashion designer Nanette Lepore for a supposed breach of their contract.
The company allegedly fired Lepore from her role as creative director of her namesake brand and licensed the brand to develop defective, low-quality products that were then sold for a discounted price.
Although both parties resolved the feud privately, Lepore no longer owns her brand and shut down her personal design line in March 2020. Currently, Bluestar Alliance still licenses Nanette Lepore.
Details of the deal between LVMH and Bluestar Alliance have yet to be publically disclosed, but the New Guards Group still holds a licensing agreement with Off-White until 2026.
Bluestar Alliance did not immediately return TheStreet’s request for comment.
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