Virgil Abloh spoke out against a brand from Barletta By relaunching his quote on the death of streetwear
Despite his busy schedule between Off-White and Louis Vuitton, it seems that Virgil Abloh has found the time to take a few pebbles off his shoe. On his IG Stories, Abloh sent a not very cryptic message to Barrow, the Italian brand worn by Chiara Ferragni and Sfera Ebbasta up to Miley Cyrus and Lil Nas X. The incriminated story is a screenshot of an article, published by WWD that mentions Abloh and his famous quote about the death of streetwear, using it to certify the success of the brand and its turnover of 5 million euros in just eight months. The brand, born from the collaboration with Valerio Coretti and Federico Barengo, aims to reach 40 million in turnover by 2021, a result possible thanks to the success also certified by the agreement signed with Farfetch. Leaving aside the real relevance of Barrow in the streetwear world, what is striking is seeing the name of the creative director of Louis Vuitton take it out on a newborn minor brand apparently without reason: in fact, the real reason behind Abloh's story is not to relaunch his quote but to reopen an old diatribe that has been going on since the Pyrex times between him and streetwear made in Barletta.
Judging from the Stories posted yesterday, however, it seems that Abloh hasn't forgotten about this, never who took the first opportunity to send a message to Daddato. But as much as Virgil Abloh's annoyance is understandable, a different attitude is expected from a name of his stature. Furthermore, his quotes and vision on streetwear are increasingly taking an elitist turn, as if those who weren't part of the right circle were not entitled to create products and sell them on the market using the same marketing techniques coined by the hype generation of which Abloh s the most representative personality. Furthermore, Streetwear - as Abloh understands it, the OG one - has made cultural appropriation - both in an ironic or less ironic way - one of the pillars of its growth, it's therefore inconsistent that it's Abloh himself who is talking about this theme. Barrow is an original brand in all respects and if it was right to condemn the legit fake trend launched in Barletta, it's not great to use one's media position and fame to discredit a company and a brand with an important history in Southern Italy that creates and sells products in a legitimate way.
