Kanye West's fashion protege Virgil Abloh starts at Louis Vuitton
Kanye West's long-time creative director, Virgil Abloh, has joined Louis Vuitton as its men's creative director.
The appointment of the 37-year-old celebrity DJ highlights a dramatic shake-up at the French fashion house.
Abloh started his streetwear label Off-White four years ago and has regularly worked with Kanye West.
He posted a Louis Vuitton travel chest to his 1.6 million Instagram followers to confirm the news.
"It is an honour for me to accept the position of men's artistic director for Louis Vuitton," he said in a statement released by the brand.
"I find the heritage and creative integrity of the house are key inspirations and will look to reference them both while drawing parallels to modern times," he added.
His Off-White brand is known for its luxury urban style, featuring hoodies that start at £400 at a time when high-end brands are adopting some streetwear looks to tap into the younger market.
Abloh will become Louis Vuitton's first African-American designer and takes over from British designer Kim Jones.
Jones is known for introducing a streetwear look at Vuitton and was named as the new designer of menswear at Christian Dior last week.
The fashion house said it expects Virgil to stage his first show in June.