‘The Business of Fashion’ Puts “Disruptor” Virgil Abloh on the Cover of #BoF500 Issue

By Candice Nembhard in Style

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Virgil Abloh is one of four people chosen for the cover of The Business of Fashion‘s annual #BoF500 print edition. The OFF-WHITE founder’s cover bills Abloh as “The Disruptor.”

The other three covers feature Kering chairman and CEO François-Henri Pinault (“The Pioneer”), actor and model Yara Shahidi (“The Future”), and Bangladeshi labor activist Kalpona Akter (“The Activist”) .

We are delighted to unveil our four cover stars for the sixth annual #BoF500 print edition featuring the people shaping the global fashion industry. This year, we focused our lens on the pioneers, disruptors, innovators and activists who are tackling fashion’s deep-rooted issues head on. Kering Chairman and CEO François-Henri Pinault is a true pioneer in balancing profits and purpose. Indeed, Pinault has not only been making headlines for the spectacular growth of his blockbuster brands. What sets him apart is his belief that strong business performance must be accompanied — even enabled — by an equally strong focus on doing the right thing. Virgil Abloh is a real fashion industry disruptor. When he first appeared on the fashion scene, he attracted his fair share of naysayers, but that scepticism was put to rest this past June when the Ghanaian-American founder of luxury streetwear sensation Off-White unveiled his debut collection as men’s artistic director of Louis Vuitton. An activist we cannot ignore, Kalpona Akter began working in a garment factory in Bangladesh at the age of 12 and in the 30 years since has become a prominent campaigner for the rights of 4 million Bangladeshi garment workers. Her cause is relevant to anyone working in fashion — and to anyone who buys clothes. Actress Yara Shahidi — anointed by Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and Tory Burch as the next big thing — is just at the beginning of her career, but she is already making waves far beyond television for her eloquence, intelligence and ideas. She is the future. Stay tuned for the unveiling of the 6th annual #BoF500 on 10 September. To receive your copy of our special print edition, sign up to become an annual #BoFProfessional member and get unlimited access members-only insights and analysis. [Link in bio] 📷: François-Henri Pinault and Virgil Abloh by Karim Sadli, Kalpona Akter by Benjamin A. Huseby, Yara Shahidi by Thomas Whiteside
A post shared by The Business of Fashion (@bof) on Sep 3, 2018 at 9:36pm PDT

The sixth annual BoF 500 list of fashion’s 500 biggest movers and shakers celebrates those shaping the industry globally, not only by shaping the world of style, but by taking on far-ranging issues such as sustainability, diversity, and creating more ethical supply chains.

In a letter announcing the covers, The Business of Fashion editor Imran Amed notes that though Abloh has attracted naysayers, his debut collection as men’s artistic director of Louis Vuitton in June dispelled any doubts.

The publication will launch the #BoF500 edition with a gala in New York on September 9.

Next, here’s why New York Fashion Week is moving toward a genderless future.