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A historical retrospective dedicated to the creator Virgil Abloh is on the horizon at the Grand Palais

undefined undefined 26 juillet 2025 undefined 17h00

The Editor

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This autumn, the Grand Palais is opening its doors to Virgil Abloh: The Codes. A large retrospective, the first of its kind in Europe, designed as a deep dive into the mind and career of a creator who never separated fashion, art, music, and architecture, right up until his untimely passing four years ago. 

It’s one of the most anticipated exhibitions of the season: the Grand Palais is about to pay tribute to the famous American designer Virgil Abloh, who passed away in 2021 from pneumonia, from September 30 (his birthday) to October 10, 2025. Organized with the support of the Virgil Abloh Foundation and Nike, this ephemeral retrospective showcases nearly twenty years of creation with over 20,000 archival pieces – objects, prototypes, sketches, images, unfinished works – all testaments to a spirit in constant motion, even through illness.


Multidisciplinarity and Independence

Under the impressive dome of the Grand Palais, visitors are eager to discover the matrix of Virgil Abloh, the essence of a mind that has deconstructed disciplines to infuse its own rules – or better yet, its codes. Virgil Abloh was a designer, but also a DJ, a trained architect, a artistic director… a true bridge-builder, in short. Above all, he was a man obsessed with the possibility of making knowledge and references more accessible. Through more than 20,000 objects (sketches, prototypes, books, images), The Codes paints a portrait of a remarkable creator, whose works serve as connections between cultures.

Organized by the duo Chloe and Mahfuz Sultan, this Paris stop extends the exhibition conceived in 2022 and pushes it even further.

far from immersion. It's not just about looking at sneakers or hoodies, it's about reading intentions. Quotation, subversion, irony, transparency: the rules of Abloh's game are disrupted, along with the behind-the-scenes of his collaborations with Off-White, Nike, or his work from the Louis Vuitton workshops. 


A retrospective as a collective manifesto

The Codes is also a living, moving space, reflecting what Virgil Abloh always championed: the right to create outside the boxes. Through projections, workshops, open dialogues, and performances, the exhibition becomes a place of transmission. Here, you'll celebrate less of a solitary genius and more of a collective energy, a kind of legacy of Abloh, who always worked in collaboration with artists, athletes, designers, and communities. The event thus honors not just a creator, but an entire way of thinking about creation.

Virgil Abloh: The Codes
Grand Palais – 8th
From September 30 to October 10, 2025
More info