LVMH has announced the sale of Virgil-Abloh founded label Off-White to Bluestar Alliance, a New York-based brand management company known for overseeing labels such as Tahari, Bebe, and Scotch & Soda. Despite the sale, the brand remains under a licensing agreement with New Guards Group, which can be renegotiated or terminated in 2026.
The sale was announced on September 30, 2024, on what would’ve been Abloh’s 44th birthday. Abloh died of cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare form of cancer, on November 28, 2021. Initially founded as Pyrex Vision in 2012, Abloh then rebranded the company as Off-White in 2013.
The French luxury conglomerate had acquired a 60 percent stake in Off-White in 2021, shortly before the passing of its visionary founder. Since then, the brand has grappled with maintaining its market appeal amid significant changes in leadership and creative direction. Under the helm of Ib Kamara, Off-White has shifted toward more artistic and high-end collections, diverging from the streetwear edge that initially defined its identity.
This transformation has left some of Off-White’s core audience feeling disconnected from the brand, leading to a decline in cultural relevance and the loss of key wholesale accounts.
