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Off-White’s Virgil Abloh Is Criticized For $50 Donation To Protester’s Bail Fund

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Off-White’s Virgil Abloh Is Criticized For $50 Donation To Protester’s Bail Fund

As protesters took to the streets in cities worldwide following the death of George Floyd — an unarmed Black man killed after being kneeled on by police in Minneapolis last week — many people, including celebrities, are expressing solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement by donating money to pay for the legal expenses and release of protesters in custody.

While some prominent names are donating huge sums — Chrissy Teigen pledged to donate $200,000 to bail out protesters — others have not. Notably, artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collection and CEO of Off-White, Virgil Abloh, posted a screenshot on Instagram Stories of a donation he made — for $50. 

The news of the donation came after Abloh re-posted photos of looting in Fat Tiger Workshop and RSVP Gallery, which carries Off-White, following protests in Chicago.

After posting a document including links to bail funds and legal help, Abloh included a screenshot of a $50 donation to Fempower. “The Miami community – im crazy inspired. for kids in the streets that need bail funds for George Floyd protests,” he wrote over the donation confirmation.

In response, people questioned the “measly” sum, calling Abloh “cheap.” “Virgil Abloh. Creator of Off-White.. Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton donated a measly $50… and y’all want me to feel bad for designer stores getting looted???” a Twitter user wrote. 

Some have pointed out that a pair of socks, one of the lowest-priced items available at Off-White, costs more than the donation Abloh made.

Others have defended the designer, and pointed out that it’s possible Abloh could have donated more money privately.

In addition to celebrities donating to bailout funds, brands like Rihanna’s Savage Fenty have also publicly contributed to help protesters. Other designers like Brother Vellies’ Aurora James have called on retailers to commit to buying 15% of their stock from Black-owned businesses.

View this post on Instagram

@wholefoods @target @shopmedmen @walmart @saks @sephora @netaporter @barnesandnoble @homedepot I am asking you to commit to buying 15% of your products from Black owned businesses. . So many of your businesses are built on Black spending power. So many of your stores are set up in Black communities. So many of your sponsored posts are seen on Black feeds. This is the least you can do for us. We represent 15% of the population and we need to represent 15% of your shelf space. . Whole Foods if you were to sign on to this pledge, it could immediately drive much needed support to Black farmers. Banks will be forced to take them seriously because they will be walking in with major purchase orders from Whole Foods. Investors for the very first time will start actively seeking them out. Small businesses can turn into bigger ones. Real investment will start happening in Black businesses which will subsequently be paid forward into our Black communities. . Dont get me wrong, I understand the complexities of this request. I am a business Woman. I have sold millions of dollars of product over the years at a business I started with $3500 at a flea market. So I am telling you we can get this figured out. This is an opportunity. It is your opportunity to get in the right side of this. . So for all of the ‘what can we do to help?’ questions out there, this is my personal answer. #15PercentPledge . I will get texts that this is crazy. I will get phone calls that this is too direct, too big of an ask, too this, too that. But I don’t think it’s too anything, in fact I think it’s just a start. You want to be an ally? This is what I’m asking for.

A post shared by Aurora James 🦢 (@aurorajames) on May 29, 2020 at 5:46pm PDT

We have reached out to Off-White for comment and will update this post should we hear back. 

To help bring attention to the police killing of George Floyd, you can sign the Change.org petition here, or donate to local organizations like Black Vision Collective or Reclaim the Block via the Minnesota Freedom Fund here.

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