First and foremost I want it to be clear that I am rooting for Virgil Abloh. I think most of the world is at this point, but for someone who came up in the streetwear scene and then made the transition into luxury menswear, it’s awesome seeing such a talented streetwear designer be given that opportunity at LV.

In March when it was first announced that Virgil would be Artistic Director of Menswear at LV I’ll admit I was concerned. It’s not that I doubt him in any way, he’s definitely proven himself in his other endeavors. Rather, I was worried that it would be similar to the Brioni situation of 2016. For those who aren’t aware, in March 2016 Brioni (A luxury suit brand) named Justin O’Shea as it’s Creative Director. Justin is a very talented guy and was doing great as the global fashion director of MyTheresa.com. It was a bold move, but one that could have helped Brioni reach a broader audience if it had worked, unfortunately, it only lasted six months before Brioni decided it wasn’t a good fit. Some blamed O’Shea’s lack of design experience for the split, others on his experience being mostly in womenswear. Personally, I don’t think either of these is to blame. O’Shea came in as the creative director which I consider more of a curator, and design experience or not, it’s undeniable that he has a great eye for style. So what was the problem? His style was too different from what Brioni stands for. When I think of Brioni I think of Brosnan in his Bond movies, that’s a far cry from Metallica, which O’Shea hired as the face of Brioni’s ads. He moved too far away from the established client and didn’t do enough to obtain a new one. So why is this important two years later? Just like O’Shea, Virgil is very talented but is very different from what LV has traditionally stood for. Running a luxury brand is very different from running a fashion brand. Still, I believe Virgil will do great things, and in my opinion, he’s shown that today during the Men’s SS 19 runway show.

Last year the LV Men’s SS collection had a lot of navy, black, grey, forest green, and brown. A couple red Hawaiian shirts but nothing too loud or bold out there. It was what we had come to expect from Louis Vuitton, a sort of sleek and futuristic feel that looks expensive but borders trendy.

Virgil took things in a very different direction. This year Virgil embraced color, “Color as a metaphor addresses the literal context of the figurative” was on LV’s Insta story. The runway show started with all white, for a clean and modern look on the rainbow runway. It’s important to keep in mind that most runway looks are exaggerated and that pieces typically look better when separated and combined to a personal look. I can already picture the IG posts of an all white bag at the airport, and honestly, I love it.

He goes on to introduce more color. Some all white outfits with red details, or electric lime shoelaces, then brown pieces which once again have accents in white or bright lime. LV took a cue from their Supreme collab and put out some beautiful pieces in red, which complimented the brown very well- In my opinion, this combination felt like the perfect metaphor of this show. The brown showing LV’s heritage and craftsmanship while the red reminded me of Virgil’s ambitious yet effective voice.

Before long there were loud statement pieces being worn, multicolored jackets, even e pretty dope Wizard of Oz sweater with the characters blacked out.

Kid Cudi walked in a coat with super wide lapels over a muted seafoam hoodie, it was one of my favorite looks. Plus how dope to be on the runway for LV and then one of your songs with Kanye starts playing. Cudi’s wide lapels weren’t the only time they played with the silhouette, like the super creative border on this piece. Another great example is the use of thick chains on many of the bags.

Of course, the blacks and the florals are going to do very well and are probably among the most versatile pieces in the collection.

In my opinion, Virgil really brought it today. He’s a big enough name and LV is a big enough name that they would be able to survive a Brioni level misstep, but luckily that was not the case here today. He brought out some heavy hitters and it worked. While not every piece is for me, there is a lot of great stuff here. Plus I saw a lot of Double Breasted suits and I’m all about that. At the end of the day, the LV men’s department relies pretty heavily on their shoes and accessories, the bags here were dope, Virgil’s proven himself with shoes, and I’m excited that he’s bringing back the millionaire sunglasses. I love that rather than play it safe and stick to something usual while making money off of the accessories, Virgil really pushed the envelope with the clothing and brought in some clean looks. I for one am moved, and not just for the way he walked directly to Kanye and hugged him, but because of what this means for Virgil, for LV, and for the world as menswear and streetwear come closer together.

You can watch the runway show yourself here.