Off-White⢠continues to celebrate the enduring vision and values of Virgil Abloh, by showcasing for the first time in the Middle East an âImaginary Experienceâ, a world within a world that is simultaneously a map and a form of transportation: a spaceship, a theater, and a portal to another worldâone devoted entirely to the imagination.
The âImaginary Experienceâ included a Trunk Show of Virgil Ablohâs âHigh Fashionâ collection, that took place at Studio 7, a design concept store in Qatar rooted in Arab culture, a playground of perception where function dares to have fun, that was followed by an âImaginaryâ dinner in a majestic farm in the heart of Doha, Qatar. To complete the experience, Qatar Creates, which is led by HE Sheikha Al Mayassa, held its closing tour of âFigures of Speechâ at Doha Fire Station. The first museum exhibition in the Middle East dedicated to the late acclaimed designer and creative Virgil Abloh showcasing more than 55 of his artwork.
The trunk show that was showcased is just one of a profusion of interdisciplinary expressions in the city concreting âImaginary,â an Off-White⢠platform desired by Virgil Abloh and dedicated to cultural reinterpretation, disruption, and transformation as a means of instigating a new dialogue and format of the future.
Rooted in Ablohâs stated desire to define a universal language that transcends cultural parameters and opens the conversation to all, it affirms that the labelâs next chapter remains grounded in its founder and creative directorâs guiding philosophy: âQuestion everything.âThis signature exchange between past and future, cultural and subcultural to articulate and progress the present is debuted through the âHigh Fashionâ collection, all designed, envisioned, and finalized by Virgil Abloh.
Sinuous dresses are abbreviated to a radical micro length, while the waistlines of jeans and pants are notably dropped. Knitwear separates are fluid and glamorous, transposing transparent layers and sensual boucle wools with compact yarns and fuzzy, textured cutout jacquards. The appearance of Swarovski crystals advocates overt shine and luxe.
Instead of classifying haute couture as the origin source of the clothes distinctive to urban tribes, it examines haute couture as a pinnacle articulation of these lifestyle expressions and the practices and ideologies that form their foundation.
The ultimate creation is a self-portrait through the lens of haute couture. It amplifies Ablohâs always dimensional expression of what is âreally real,â rather than an expectation, stereotype, projection, or outdated ideal.