https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10252631/Louis-Vuitton-artistic-director-Virgil-Ablohs-rise-fashion-industry.html

How the son of a Ghanaian seamstress rose to become the first black artistic director of Louis Vuitton after forging friendship with Kanye West while they interned at Fendi together: Virgil Abloh dies after secret two-year battle against rare cancer at age 41

Virgil Abloh, the first black artistic director of Louis Vuitton, has died at the age of 41 from a rare form of cancer called cardiac angiosarcoma

Abloh had joined the luxury brand in 2018, having previously created his own label called Off-White in 2013

He had began his career in the industry while helping his Ghanaian seamstress mother sew at their Illinois home where he learned the basics of the craft

He originally pursued a degree in architecture, before gaining an interest in fashion while he studied at Illinois Institute of Technology in 2006

Abloh began collaborating with rapper Kanye West after the pair had met while interning for Fendi in 2009

His designs had gained him plaudits and had thrust him into the high-profile industry

Abloh joined Louis Vuitton in 2018 which had explored the collaborations between streetwear and high fashion

He continued to work in the industry even after his diagnosis in 2019

Abloh was survived by his wife Shannon Sundberg, who he married in 2009, along with the couple's two children Lowe and Grey

He had no formal fashion training besides his mother's instruction, but went on to become a widely-praised fashion trailblazer whose untimely death has prompted an outpouring of grief from celebrity friends and fashion fans.

He then rose to fame decades later, following his collaboration with rapper Kanye West after the pair had interned together for the LVMH brand Fendi in 2009.

Abloh, who also worked as a DJ and artist, revolutionized the fashion world after being hired by Louis Vuitton which saw fresh, modern designs such as streetwear coming to the catwalk.

'Virgil was not only a genius designer, a visionary, he was also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom,' Bernard Arnault, the billionaire boss of Louis Vuitton's owner, French fashion conglomerate LVMH, said in a statement Sunday.