Will Guys Wear Compression Leggings? Off-White’s Virgil Abloh Gets Into Activewear for Men’s Pre-Spring

Nicole Phelps

Will Guys Wear Compression Leggings? Off-White’s Virgil Abloh Gets Into Activewear for Pre-Spring

<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Off-White
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Off-White
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Off-White
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Off-White
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Off-White
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Off-White
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Off-White
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Off-White
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Off-White
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Off-White
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Off-White
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
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<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
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<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
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<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Off-White
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
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<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
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<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Off-White
<cite class="credit">Photo: Courtesy of Off-White</cite>
Photo: Courtesy of Off-White

In a few weeks time, an exhibition of Virgil Abloh’s output will go up at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art. “Figures of Speech” will be a multi-disciplinary show, encompassing not just fashion, but Abloh’s interest in music, architecture, and industrial design—plus a “Church & State” gift shop offering previous Off-White hits. A week after that, Abloh will be in Paris to present his Spring 2020 collections for his own label and Louis Vuitton men’s. No wonder that this Pre-Spring men’s offering is focused on performancewear. Stamina is required for a life in constant motion like his.

Off-White has been linked with streetwear since its 2013 beginnings. Streetwear and performancewear have logos and graphic treatments in common, but there are other crucial differences. Oversize shapes have been swapped out for body-sculpting ones; there are compression leggings of the sort you’d see in a spinning class or barre workout, and second-skin knits in neon yellow or turquoise are lifted from cycling gear. A collapsible water bottle branded with Off-White’s signature arrow-pointed “X” hangs suspended from a backpack strap, reinforcing the sporty message. Abloh has also designed his first men’s bathing suit. Again, the proportions look new—it’s cut along skimpy Speedo-like lines.

“I’m not interested in keeping Off-White the same as it was in any given period,” Abloh said on the phone from Ibiza. (See what we mean about getting around?) “When I was starting [in] fashion, I was perplexed by the notion of continuity. Why does it have to be the same?” His other new idea this season: jeans with a unmistakeable flare at the hem, some in a bleached tie-dye effect. Even compared with compression leggings, this might be the more revolutionary concept. But if men can embrace skinny, calf-hugging denim—a regrettable trend if ever there was one—then Virgil Abloh may be the guy to persuade them in this other, more compelling direction. He’s off to a promising start: At the Met Gala earlier this month, Trevor Noah wore an Off-White tuxedo with boot-cut trousers.

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Originally Appeared on Vogue