Drake Gets Tattoo Honouring Late Designer Virgil Abloh
Drake has paid homage to his friend Virgil Abloh, the late fashion designer, with a new tattoo. The new ink, revealed on Wednesday on social media, shows Abloh with his back turned throwing a black kite into the distance. The tribute was based off an image of the former Louis Vuitton artistic director hurling a kite down the runway at Paris Fashion Week in 2018.
The arm tattoo was created by Los Angeles artist Joaquin Ganga, who previously inked Drake with a portrait of fellow rapper Lil Wayne while on tour in Europe. Ganga, who has also tattooed notable names such as Post Malone and Kevin Durant, shared a photo of his latest creation on 22nd December on Instagram.
“A remembrance of the great Virgil Abloh done on Drake” @champagnepapi @virgilabloh Microrealism,” he wrote in the caption.
Abloh passed away on 28th November at age 41 from cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare type of cancer afflicting the heart. He was diagnosed with the disease in 2019 and kept his battle with cancer out of the public eye.
“Through it all, his work ethic, infinite curiosity, and optimism never wavered,” read a message on Abloh’s Instagram announcing his death. “Virgil was driven by his dedication to his craft and to his mission to open doors for others and create pathways for greater equality in art and design. He often said, ‘Everything I do is for the 17-year-old version of myself,’ believing deeply in the power of art to inspire future generations.”
Drake and Virgil Abloh were friends who often worked together on special projects. Abloh designed the $185-million Patek watch Drake wore in the video for “Life Is Good” and provided a paint-job makeover for his private jet.
The “God’s Plan” artist referenced Abloh and his work in “What’s Next,” “Never Recover” and “Duppy Freestyle.” Drake was among the many musicians who paid tribute to Abloh when news of his death broke.
“My plan is to touch the sky 1000 more times for you…love you eternally brother ?thank you for everything,” he wrote alongside a carousel of photos.
Abloh’s funeral took place in Chicago, and was attended by Drake, as well as Kanye West, Tyler, The Creator, Kid Cudi, Kim Kardashian and many others. In a touching tribute to the late designer, Tyler, The Creator wrote on social media: “Passion seeped through everything he did.”
“Sometimes, part of us sharing our wild ideas is to get approval from our peers to keep it pushing, but Virgil was ALWAYS a cheerleader. For everyone. That hand of his opened doors, lead people in and tossed the keys outside for the next person to have. I wish I was able to see him see what his helping hand did for me. His spirit is around tho. I feel it. He’ll see it. I’ll keep pushing and trying things while leaving the door open. He’ll shake those pom-poms. We’ll keep that on loop. Safe travels.”
