Virgil Abloh Is Bringing Back Louis Vuitton's Iconic Millionaire Sunglasses
Virgil Abloh teased a pair of Millionaire sunglasses from his debut Louis Vuitton collection.
Tomorrow, Virgil Abloh will present his first collection as Louis Vuitton's men's artistic director. It'll be a huge feat for Abloh, a self-taught designer who nabbed the top job at the Parisian fashion house this past March. It'll also mark a new era for the luxury label, which has previously been led by the likes of Marc Jacobs and Kim Jones, now artistic director at Dior Homme.
Ahead of the show, Abloh has been teasing a few of his Louis Vuitton designs, including a pair of sneakers (debuted by A$AP Rocky) and, the biggest surprise of all, "1.1 millionaire" sunglasses. The red frames have an updated shape, but the same LV branding seen on the original.
The "1.1 millionare" sunglasses is a clear rendition of Louis Vuitton's original Millionaire sunglasses. For those who don't know, or may not remember, some back story on the iconic frames: In 2004, Pharrell and Nigo collaborated with Marc Jacobs on the sunglasses. They were re-released by Louis Vuitton in 2007 in new colorways. Described as "one part Tony Montana, one part The Notorious B.I.G.," the shades became a phenomenon. Everyone from Rihanna to JAY-Z rocked a pair. Kanye West was famously a fan and was gifted his first pair by his mother, Donda.
In her 2007 book, Raising Kanye: The Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar, she wrote:
In 2009, Rick Ross even wore a fake pair of the Millionaires on the cover of XXL. It's unclear if Ross knew, but according to XXL, the magazine was notified by Louis Vuitton that the shades were bootleg.
Over the years, the Millionaire has become a staple of hip-hop style. Thanks to the Pharrell co-sign and bright colors, it was also a grail for streetwear enthusiasts at the time, and the first high-end accessory that today's generation of sneakerheads and streetwear kids latched onto. They're so iconic—and rare (only a couple thousand were sold)—that they still fetch up to $6,000 on eBay today.
If this is any indication of what we can expect tomorrow, we can't wait to see what else Abloh has cooked up.
