On Sunday in New York, Ib Kamara, the new Creative Director of Off-White, showcased his debut collection, marking the end of a two-year journey in his leadership role.
As Ib Kamara steps into the role of Creative Director at Off-White, he's generating a lot of buzz in the fashion world. Kamara is famous for his bold, avant-garde style, and his rapid rise from a well-regarded stylist and editor to a leading designer has been impressive. With his innovative vision and deep understanding of contemporary fashion, Kamara is set to bring a fresh, exciting perspective to the storied streetwear brand. His appointment marks a significant turning point for Off-White, opening up intriguing new possibilities for the label’s future.
For those curious about when Off-White would officially move on from Virgil Abloh’s legacy and step into a new chapter, that moment arrived on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the Brooklyn Bridge Park basketball courts. Ib Kamara unveiled his debut collection as the official Creative Director of the Milan-based fashion label, following two and a half years of designing for the brand in an unofficial capacity.
He still isn’t listed on the company’s website, which features a founder's section titled "Virgil is here." The main jobs that Kamara has listed on Wikipedia are stylist and editor of Dazed magazine, however he hasn't mentioned that he has been in charge of design at Off-White since April 2022.
However, Kamara subtly led Off-White on Sunday toward a future where the brand will emphasize showcasing its American heritage more than in the past while incorporating a new, personal touch: subdued allusions to Africa, including traditional mud prints.
Born in Sierra Leone, Kamara found inspiration for the spring 2025 collection while visiting Ghana in the summer. His first official project as Creative Director, a designation he was concealed awarded early this year, is this collection. "Now my name is really on it," Kamara says backstage, beaming proudly.
Off-White is going through a distinctive transformation, which is unusual in a business where designer turnover is common. In contrast, Sarah Burton, who left Alexander McQueen to take over at Givenchy, is now the seventh designer to lead the company since Hubert de Givenchy, its creator, left in 1995. Off-White, on the other hand, has given Abloh's surprise departure some serious thought.
Kamara now formally holds authority for designs, advertising campaigns, and the brand's entire visual expression thanks to his new role of Creative Director. This is the result of more than two years of adjusting to his position under the vague title of "Art and Image Director," which gave him artistic power over the label but obscured his entire range of duties. Kamara has been quietly influencing the destiny of the brand since being given this mysterious title in April 2022, and his new role now formally recognizes his influence and vision for Off-White.
In November last year, Kamara confided to Christina Binkley over coffee at the Sunset Tower bar in Los Angeles that he wasn't sure if he would be granted the title of Creative Director even though he was already doing so. He said he was feeling prepared to assume that role. His eyes strayed to two Off-White team members who happened to be there as he subtly repeated her inquiry on the formalization of the transfer.
Their talk ended in an uneasy silence that turned to the sensitive subject of Abloh's replacement. The label was shocked by his death in 2021 at the age of 41 from a rare cancer, and they were well aware of how difficult it would be to distinguish Abloh from Off-White. Kamara was entering this intricate scenario.
There was a much longer time of grief than just what was observed at Louis Vuitton. Abloh's creativity and vision, along with his audacious risk-taking that enabled him to establish his label in Milan and present it in Paris, gave rise to Off-White.
Though he had no formal design expertise, Pharrell Williams brought his own global celebrity power to Louis Vuitton, while Kamara had been more of a behind-the-scenes person with minimal consumer visibility. However, Kamara appears to have seen a special opportunity and is acting upon it.
At Paris Fashion Week, Off-White has always been a bit of an outlier. Abloh's choice of a Paris parking garage as the setting, which further nods to American automotive traditions, and his use of vintage automobiles as sets, which highlight his dedication to US car culture, both contributed to the show's decidedly American feel. The deeper connection to the label's American roots frequently felt unclear, even though Europeans acknowledged the label's cool aspect. It seems that Kamara is ready to close that gap and reinvent the audience resonance of Off-White.
Kamara is using his own experience to drive Off-White ahead, much like Abloh and Williams did before him. In his opinion, the Milan-based, Paris-showing label is most comfortable in New York. "What other city would embrace a brand that's based in Milan, shows in Paris, created by a Chicago native, and led by someone from London?" Kamara reflects.
He notes, "We've never shown here," and says he thinks it's good for the brand to get back to its origins. Referring to Abloh by his initial, Kamara says, "Virgil really wanted to show here for a long time." "I feel it's my duty to uphold that vision as I take on the brand and bring it to New York, hopefully making it a regular presence."
"I'm blending my African roots with this very American brand," Kamara continues. In Virgil's amazing environment, I'm figuring out where I fit in and sharing my own viewpoint.
THE UNCOMMON BREED
Comments