In addition to his position as artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear, the late Alboh was also the founder of Off-White. Since joining the RCA as an honorary visiting professor in 2020, he maintained close ties with the institution before passing.

As reported by The Guardian, a generous benefactor in the United States has endowed the scholarship fund with £35,000. Whether you’re passionate about fashion, textiles, or design products, the School of Design has a postgraduate program that’s right for you and entirely funded. Generally, enrolling in one of these courses is between £14,175 and £33,200. Extra advantages of the scholarship include exposure to the field and potential contacts.

Abloh was a fervent supporter of equal opportunity in education and learning. In 2020, he announced that he had committed over $1 million to help provide scholarships and professional opportunities for Black students in the United States through the Virgil Abloh™️ “Post-Modern” scholarship fund. Partners such as the retail platform Farfetch and Louis Vuitton were among those who contributed to this effort.

“Systemic change starts at the grassroots level, from the collective efforts of people taking action and lifting up their own communities. I’m committed to helping ensure that this social revolution is not just a moment, but a movement – and I am holding myself to task,” Abloh said in an online post, The Guardian reports.

Born in Chicago to parents from Ghana, Abloh went on to earn degrees in both civil engineering and architecture. While he was attending college, he began creating unique designs for T-shirts.

Alongside Kanye West, he completed an internship at Fendi in 2009. In 2021, LVMH bought a controlling interest in Abloh’s cult-favorite label, Off-White.

Abloh went against the grain in the conventional fashion industry and eventually became known for his use of quotation marks. He made history in 2018 as the first Black designer at Louis Vuitton after collaborating on reusable water bottles with Evian and furniture with Ikea.

Blavity reported when his family disclosed that he had been secretly battling a rare and aggressive cancer known as cardiac angiosarcoma for over two years.  They shared this in a published post to announce his passing in November 2021.

As reported by Hypebae, for her part, Shannon Abloh, the late designer’s wife, shared a message. 

“Over the years, the RCA and Virgil formed a beautiful relationship based on a shared appreciation of collaboration, creative vision, and of course, education. We know that the RCA Virgil Abloh scholarship will break down financial barriers to fulfilling creative potential and empower talented young individuals to dream even bigger,” she said.

Visit the Royal College of Arts for more information on the scholarship.