Virgil Abloh was a maverick in a league of his own who touched every facet of art, design, and culture before his untimely passing in November 2021. Though he began his journey as an architecture student in Rockford, Illinois, Abloh would go on to become a DJ, creative partner for rappers like Kanye West and Travis Scott, artistic director of menswear at Louis Vuitton, and founder and CEO of Off-White. Most of which he accomplished simultaneously while collaborating with numerous brands and traveling internationally regularly. One could only wonder how he did it, but thanks to the incredible breadth of resources he left behind, like his Free Game website, there is a blueprint. Peep 12 lessons Abloh taught us about fashion below!

1. Have a multidisciplinary approach

Abloh was a man of many influences, so it was only natural that he had many creative outlets. In addition to designing, he was also a DJ and an art director for artists like West, Scott, and others. To him, there was no divide between any of those disciplines, and his career was a testament to the seamless marrying of all the diverse fields he found himself in.

2. Believe in yourself

"You can't waste even a day subscribing to what someone thinks you can do versus knowing what you can do." This is one of the many Abloh quotes that took on a life of its own after his untimely passing. It's an affirmation. It's a wake-up call and a direct call to action put plainly in the simplest terms that inspire agency.

3. Never take NO for an answer

“Every ‘no’ is perfect for me. I thrive off a ‘no,’” Abloh recalled in an in-studio interview with The NY Times. As a creative, resistance and flat-out rejection is normal but for a Ghanaian immigrant from Rockford, Illinois, the volume of it was paramount. But, rather than succumb to the negativity, Abloh used all of it to invigorate and propel his ideas forward. A lesson we can all follow suit on.

4. Collaborate, collaborate, and collaborate some more

Brands like IKEA, Air Jordan, Louis Vuitton, Mercedes Benz, Evian, and countless others have one common denominator: Abloh. As a practiced democratic creative, he believed in delivering accessible designs to the masses and creating one-off, exclusive creations for the uber-rich. His way of working has filled the world with many unique artifacts that live on and continue to inspire.

5. Use the 3 percent approach

Abloh's 3 percent rule was that his creations, whether it was sneakers or DJing a song, only needed 3 percent of tweaks to be successful. The rule played on our need for familiarity while introducing new ideas. The approach was found most in use through his sneaker collabs with Nike, where he would move a Nike Swoosh backward or below its original placement. Another example was when he added his zip tie logo on familiar silhouettes, such as the Converse Chuck Taylor.

6. Empower the youth

One of Abloh's greatest gifts to the world of art and design was his willingness to empower the youth. He did it with words and actions, by creating space, by collaborating with upcoming brands and creatives alike, and by giving many their first big break in fashion. Even after death, he continues to empower and give back with his Free Game website, a step-by-step guidebook to building a brand.

7. Leave designs undone

A bullet point in Abloh's Off-White design philosophy was to leave designs undone, so the end-user, the consumer, or the wearer could interpret them and add their own ideas at any given time. This philosophy was on display in many of his creative works, for example, his Off-White x Air Jordan 5s "Sail" that featured a textile mesh upper with translucent netted panels and circular window inserts throughout the shoe. The design allowed the end-user to cut holes through the nets if they chose to or leave it factory styled.

8. Embrace imperfection

"Perfectionism doesn't advance anything, ironically. As a creative and as a designer, there's no wrong way to go about the future of your career. The only failure is not to try." Succinctly stated by Abloh in a way that young creatives could understand, he gave insight on something that many artists struggle with: Chasing perfection and letting that chase hinder output.

9. Handle criticism with grace

As often as Abloh was praised for his out-of-the-box thinking, he was equally criticized for his non-conventional designer path and some of his output. In 2020, he created the album artwork for Pop Smoke's posthumous album, Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon, and received a lot of backlash from fans and industry vets like 50 Cent. Abloh handled the criticism with grace and redid the cover.

10. Be innovative

Abloh's career was a testament to being innovative, from his early work with his upstart brand, Pyrex Vision, where he screen printed on Champion hoodies and Polo Ralph Lauren flannels, to Off-White, where he introduced quotation marks and zip ties as logos. He also used words inside of quotations slyly and uniquely to demystify designs and communicate in new ways.

11. Categorize your styles

Another concept Abloh introduced was the idea of the "Tourist” and "Purist" to categorize the work he was doing and merge it for consumers. According to Abloh, the purist was steeped in knowledge and sort of the gatekeeper while the tourist was the public who was curious and ambitious to scale big ideas. Abloh's goal was a concentrated effort to attract both.

12. Ask questions

"Sort of my creative process is entirely in question form," Abloh stated in an interview with Self Service Magazine. He used his brand Off-White as a case study for asking questions about the state of fashion through his lens. With every new season and campaign, new questions were being posed, and through consumerism, he gauged the next questions he wanted to ask.