Using for the most part a direct cinema style of filming, Off White designer Virgil Abloh has released an hour-long documentary revealing all that takes place in the lead up to the presentation of a runway collection. The film kicks off in a studio in Paris, four days before the label’s fall 2016 runway presentation. Throughout the film, simple, white-colored captions reflective of Off White’s font aesthetic pop-up, detailing the action and timing of events.
Early on, a caption introduces us to Sabrina, the head womanswear designer, and at 6:55 Luka Sabbat pops by with a friend and adorably dances around in a big fluffy brown fur. Abloh is interviewed at 15:41 and while his words are distorted, a caption pops up that reads, “The hoodie and graphic tee shirt is just as important as a tailored jacket.” Not long after, “Virgil Alboh meets with Karla Otto Paris to go over seating for the show.”
As the show draws closer, the camera begins to move with the action and music changes from mostly spare and classic to more energetic with songs via Abloh’s friend Kanye West included on the studio playlist.
The crew at 52:50 moves from the studio to the show location where the camera switches between backstage and the runway presentation, followed by some brief moments following the show. (Was that Naomi high-fiving Abloh?)
It’s all very elegant and beautiful and does a wonderful job conveying the real time feel of the effort and in-the-moment choices that go into making a runway presentation a reality. From another angle entirely, it’s oh-so cool to see a man of color running things at a Paris studio. And also, Abloh seems like a really nice person to work for.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/190256841?loop=1&autoplay=1
