Virgil Abloh’s luxury label is reportedly on the verge of outfitting the Italian champions away from the pitch.
Since launching as Pyrex Vision in 2012 and rebranding shortly after, the late Virgil Abloh’s Off-White has always been about making a mark far beyond the runway. The Milan-based fashion label has crossed over to all areas of culture, collaborating with the likes of IKEA, Nike, Levi’s, and much more.
While Off-White designs have dressed Serena Williams on the court and PJ Tucker in the tunnel, the LVMH-backed brand is reportedly keeping it close to home by becoming the official style partner of soccer club AC Milan, the reigning champions of Italy’s Serie A.
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As Hypebeast notes, AC Milan’s contract with Harmont & Blaine came to a close at the end of the past season. Though the club’s kits are manufactured by Puma, they are a high-profile team that attract so many eyes around the world that they possess the power to not just have a sponsor on the pitch, but one to help them level up their style game for travel, arrivals, manner of engagements away from it.
While such off-field style partnerships are still somewhat foreign in the States, the pairing makes sense. Virgil Abloh, who passed away in November 2021, played soccer during his youth in Chicago before choosing Milan as the place to build his brand as an adult.
Additionally, Hypebeast notes that other Serie A clubs have existing partnerships with fashion labels, including AS Roma (Fendi) and Inter Milan (Monclair). To date, Off-White has never engaged in such a deal with a sports team.
AC Milan begin their Serie A campaign on Saturday, Aug. 13 at home against Udinese.
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