Virgil Abloh’s, Louis Vuitton Debut stated a new lexicon for the upcoming fashion years. It was about experimentation and liberal expressions that the designer emphasized throughout the show with his first collection for the Louis Vuitton brand. He introduces his take with on the classic Louis Vuitton style with an apt Instagram post, pre-show describing what he wants his show to be – “The biggest goal for a first collection in any scenario is to start so that people can understand the new vocabulary.” The rainbow runway had glistening seats around it on the sun beat down garden of Palais Royale, where the seats of the attendees had a dictionary left on their seats. The dictionary was described by Abloh as a collection of “a liberal definition of terms and explanation of ideas”!

The show had perfection down to every last detail, with the most authentically diverse casting of male models and more than what naysayers predicted would be just a line of printed t-shirts; instead they were a very refined collection of luxurious yet very modern menswear that was in-tune to the brand’s history and journey into the present times. Every attendee seat had maps that detailed where each models were born and even where their parents are from.

It seems fashion is taking a sharp turn into redefining inclusiveness, culture, diversity, support, and harmony in such hard times for a large part of the world that is shrouded in hopelessness of tyranny and bigotry. Virgil Abloh’s Louis Vuitton debut was a great smack in the face for the haters and a glimmer of hope for artists, creators and everyone with love for fashion and lust towards design, who work towards the distant utopia that keeps slipping off our hands!

The successful show should go on to demonstrate that every one with a dream can do it, as Abloh’s journey into fashion wasn’t the traditional way. No matter how people interpret his relationship with Kanye, Virgil is still self-made who did not attend CSM or go to work at a name brand as an in-house. This fashion show was different in the way that his message wasn’t about fashion being a close community of sartorial elites but was for and because of the civilian style-loving fans of the brand in general. This is why he invited teenagers to his show, who were seen standing on the sides of the runway wearing t-shirts that showed a photocopied image of his visiting card that had a handwritten message saying how surreal it was, while showcasing his own phone number.

The show was more than just a statement of inclusivity and style; it was also a great step towards recognizing the contributions of black men to the fashion industry that has often been completely disregarded by the ivory tower attitude of big brands. This is how the show featured a feeling of genuine warmth that was much beyond than making statements about breaking the walls that cage us. The finale had West and Abloh embracing in an emotional hug that was difficult not be affected by, especially for the attendees who saw it all in 3D. Post the show Virgil went on to pose for a photo with rapper Don C along with Fonz Bentley that was an ironic step towards partially recreating a very popularly mocked picture of them from almost a decade ago. Look at us now was the undertones of this picture that must give a deep burn to all those who ridiculed them at that time.

The show was more than just a great fashion exhibition of amazingly stylish menswear that did not just include printed t-shirt what many haters thought it would be. It was a strong message to the industry that said as community driven by chance and hope and style and all great things, the industry must try and break the structural inequalities and snobbery that still infect the high-up positions like Abloh’s and take a fresh look at talent and respect when its due, no matter color, creed and gender. Something changed in the fashion industry with Vigil Abloh’s debut and it was beautiful to witness it.