Following showings in Boston and Chicago, Virgil Abloh's newest "Figures of Speech" exhibition recently opened to the public at the Brooklyn Museum. While the first-time installation honoring the late designer's work adds another adventure to your summer to-do list, it also provides new steez for your wardrobe too, with a new round of Abloh-approved merch.
While attending the "Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech" preview on June 29, I couldn't help but notice the installation's halls bustling with mingling tastemakers and museum staff dripped out in gifted Off-White x Nike Air Force 1 "Light Green Spark" sneakers.
As expected, the museum's gift shop was just as lively, with attendees waiting in a line out the door for their chance to cop the exhibition's collection.
The "Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech" collection — now available at the Brooklyn Museum's webstore — consists of apparel and accessories in tandem with the exhibit's kickoff.
All of the Abloh-inspired merch oozes the spirit of the curated display, which essentially looks back to the late designer's sweeping creative influence and projects, including the previous FOS exhibits.
Hoodies, tees, totes, headwear, and even mugs boast a hodgepodge of graphics, incorporating Abloh signatures like boldface fonts and quoted phrases.
Feline mascots and vibrantly animated speech bubbles emulate a sense of childlike play, a common Abloh theme evident with his Louis Vuitton collections.
Major nostalgia goes down with the FOS cat tee, which even features the "Pyrex 23" design on the back — nodding to Abloh's first-ever fashion brand and the famed graphic that changed the reclaimed flannel game forever.
Meanwhile, the "Darkside of the Rainbow" references Abloh's debut Louis Vuitton collection via collegiate-style "Gymnastic Art Institute" apparel.
In a past interview, Abloh referred to his career as a "Trojan horse" that possesses the ability to "traverse two spaces and allow other people to partake in it."
The FOS merch collection reiterates the metaphor with the "Sunroof Of The Trojan Horse" print, ultimately summing up the overarching theme of the latest FOS exhibit by emphasizing Abloh's "social and structural infiltration," as the Brooklyn Museum says.
That is to say, Abloh's Trojan horse will continue to open doors and create opportunities for future generations to come.
Of course, in the spirit of Abloh's previous exhibitions, this isn't the final "Virgil Abloh: Figures of Speech" drop.
The Brooklyn Museum confirmed that more exclusive releases will emerge throughout the show's run, which lasts until January 29, 2023.
While the collaborative Air Force 1s won't release alongside the exhibition, you'll have plenty of more opportunities to cop more graphic tees and metaphorical mugs down the road.
