Virgil Abloh’s Off-White label will show its SS18 menswear collection and part of his womenswear pre-collection in Florence as part of Pitti Uomo, joining Jonathan Anderson as a special guest at this year’s event.

“It’s with great honor that I will be debuting my work as part of Pitti Immagine Uomo 92. I recognize that this platform is amongst the most important arenas for recording fashion history over the years, and it’s my goal to add a unique chapter to that story,” says Virgil Abloh.

Sitting out of the brand’s usual spot as part of the Paris Fashion Week schedule, this latest guest designer announcement sees Off-White follow in the footsteps of Raf Simons, Gosha Rubchinskiy and Juun.J, who have all previously been invited to show their collections as part of the men’s trade fair.

“In a time that’s mixing the traditional hierarchies amongst fashion, streetwear and role distinctions, Virgil Abloh has transformed his own lifestyle into a successful brand.” says Lapo Cianchi, Pitti Immagine Director of Communications & Events. “He has led Off-White to full stylistic maturity without losing his, sometimes very immediate and impudent, brashness that made his name in the beginning.

Virgil is an Architect and Engineer. He was raised in the United States, the child of immigrants from Ghana, and became a Creative Director, indefatigable DJ and Entertainer. Now there’s this legend about his ubiquity. Who knows… maybe here in Florence, we will discover that there is more than one Virgil Abloh… or perhaps three or four.”

Off-White is set to show in Florence on 15th June.