Fashion design and skateboarding usually do not go together, but Virgil Abloh had a penchant for being a man of many great things
By Stephen Esic/EMZ
Aside from breaking barriers in the fashion world by being the artistic director at Louis Vuitton Men’s Wear and running his own successful label Off-White, Virgil Abloh has crossed paths with the worlds beyond fashion.
From making furniture, dabbling with vehicle design, directing music videos for famous hip-hop artists, and even playing as a DJ after his runway shows, Abloh proved to be melding spheres within fashion, art, and culture.
Son of Ghanaian immigrants, born in America, Abloh became the world’s most respected designer as a person of color. Last Sunday, November 28, he died from a two-year fight with a rare form of cancer at the age of 41.
But among the many legacies he had is one you least expect from the creative genius… and it is a skatepark.
Skateboarding is a sport of freedom. Doing tricks and flips on the board will feel like ruling the world. The sport captures the energy of the younger generation, careless and most importantly, free…which was always what Abloh cared about. However, it is not as accessible to some parts of the world.
Over at Ghana in West Africa, Abloh’s parents’ home country, a small crew of skateboarders called Skate Nation had it hard to keep on with the flips. Despite having only the decrepit area beneath an elevated highway as a makeshift skate ramp to having no actual local store to purchase a board, the Ghanian skateboarders kept enjoying nevertheless
There are about 4,000 skateparks across the globe, but only 10 are found in Africa, the world’s second-largest continent.
Sandy Alibo of Surf Ghana then met with Skate Nation’s leader Joshua Odamtten, both hoping to build a permanent skate ramp in Accra, at the heart of the country.
“It makes kids forget their problems. No drugs, no violence. Just one goal: Learn the tricks; do the tricks. It’s a family,” said Alibo in a Vogue feature.
A dream made reality
After hearing about Skate Nation, Abloh immediately contacted the crew’s leader and Surf Ghana to express his support and inquired how to make their hopes come true.
The plan in mind for the crew was no regular skate ramp. It was a state-of-the-art venue for creativity and young energy, words that really define the community. The project will be called Freedom Skate Park, which features a café with Wi-Fi, clean bathrooms, a store that will not only make skateboarding equipment available but also offer lessons to interested newbies. The materials used in the overall construction of the park will be made sustainably from recycled and locally sourced materials.
The space will also feature a lush green landscape made accessible to the public, allowing spectators to feel part of the sport, giving a tingling invitation to join in.
Abloh, with his design studio Alaska Alaska, agreed to come up with the brand identity of Freedom Skate Park, its logo, the skate house, and the furniture in collaboration with Limbo Accra.
Abloh’s cult brand OFF-WHITE also collaborated with pan-African clothing brand Daily Paper and worked on an exclusive capsule collection, which funded the project.
Alibo was elated to receive such support. She said, “Virgil and Daily Paper came and listened — they didn’t just do whatever they wanted; they talked to us and supported our ideas.”
With the booming skateboarding community in Ghana, Skate Nation and Alibo are eyeing to produce a team of Ghanaian skateboarders in the world leagues, especially considering the newly opened skateboarding category in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Skating from Accra to Cebu
Skate Nation’s story is quite similar to one in the Philippines’ skateboarding community, particularly in Cebu — where a homegrown skateboarder used to skate through the streets and mischievously run away when authorities do apprehend her.
Later in life, she actually joined the ranks of competitive international skateboarders by appearing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, after bagging gold from the 2018 ASEAN Games.
This is the story of Margielyn Didal.
Didal shares the same hopes as Skate Nation’s and Surf Ghana’s; which is to build a permanent skatepark in their communities to give a space for skateboarders to play their sport. But unlike Freedom Skate Park, Didal’s hopes are at the brink of falling off-board.
A skatepark was actually promised to Didal by the Cebu local government after her gold stint at the ASEAN games, and a donation of Php 5 million was already in place. It was initially planned to be built at the South Road Properties (SRP).
However, because of many issues as to the final location, funding, and permits, a Cebu skatepark remains a pipedream.
Skate Nation and Margielyn Didal are alike and in so many ways: young talents striving to find a space where they are accepted. Talents that, if only welcomed and nurtured, may leave the world breathless — much the same how Abloh lived his great meaningful life.
Ultimately, Virgil Abloh’s legacy is believing in the ability of people. It did not stop at the Freedom Skate Park, nor did it stop at his illustrious fashion career. He forged a future for people of color to pursue their dreams and passions, no matter how far away they may seem. He had a genuine recognition of untapped potential, a spark that inspired and will continue to inspire many.
It is up to us whether we let Abloh’s legacy skate away from its way to those who deserve it.
Stephen Esic is practically a zombie. He punches the hours overdriving himself into graveyard shifts relying on coffee as fuel to power through work. Dead by day but he comes alive in the wee hours…wait, that makes him a vampire now, right?
