Kanye West's creative director Virgil Abloh is a busy dude. From that one pretty big director position to world trotting DJ to his own clothing label Off White to having a collaboration with Bromance creative director Guillaume Berg called Paris, IL, the man has a few interests. In a recent Q&A with The Guardian he touched on all those pursuits as well as the influences that lead him to his position today.
Abloh tells The Guardian he began DJing in high school and that A-Trak was his idol. He "started out in turtablism." He's recently returned to DJing as a way to shut down after his other creative pursuits have finished for the day. "I’m not talking to anyone, I’m not managing anything; it’s just like a time when I can listen to music. So for me now, in the same way I still skateboard now. I don’t play golf. I’ll be DJing after I’m done designing or doing anything else."
He also someday envisions having his own art gallery. It will be a place for curating artists. "Not necessarily just in the form of a T-shirt or a mixtape or a DJ set."
Abloh also comments on receiving an hour-long version of Kanye's "Father Stretch My Hands" for his own Paris fashion show that was 10 minutes in length.
I had a conversation with Kanye and he said he had a version. It was perfect. Kanye and I are brothers for life. We started on the same mission of being kids from Chicago trying to push beyond being boxed in and have music as our only form of expression to the world. When your brother gives you a song that’s never been heard and it’s a crazy arrangement … it was all synergy.
Read the entire interview here.
