How Virgil Abloh married childhood sweetheart Shannon after meeting at school – as his romantic proposal is revealed

MUCH-acclaimed menswear designer Virgil Abloh was married to his childhood sweetheart, and the way he proposed is incredibly romantic.

Abloh, 41, the first black man to be an artistic director at Louis Vuitton, tragically passed away this weekend after a two-year battle with a rare heart cancer.



Despite a high profile in the fashion world, not much is known about Abloh's private life.

He was married to his childhood sweetheart, Shannon, an American program manager at Monster.

The pair tied the knot in 2009 after 10 years of dating.

They reportedly met in school before heading to Wisconsin for college.

Shannon studied management and marketing at Edgewood College, while Abloh studied civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin before moving on to a Master of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Shannon told Inside Weddings that she was completely surprised when Abloh proposed to her after a decade of courtship.

The famed fashion designer reportedly asked his future wife to drive him to the airport before a work trip.

After she got out of the car and walked around to take over the driver's seat, she found Abloh waiting for her on one knee.

"I was completely surprised — I couldn't believe it!" she told the outlet.

Shannon also shared that the pair wrote their own vows, and were shocked to find out they had similar sentiments to share.

"The funny part is that we wrote them separately – and didn’t share them with each other – but they were very similar," she said.

ABLOH LEAVES BEHIND LEGACY

Abloh passed away after silently battling cancer since 2019.

Born in Illinois in 1980, Abloh was both a studied architect and prominent fashion designer.

He began designing clothes while at the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2006

Virgil went on to intern at Fendi alongside Kanye West, where the two developed a close and collaborative friendship.

After working with Kanye at DONDA and on Watch the Throne, Virgil launched his first company: Pyrex Vision.

The following year, he closed down Pyrex. In 2013, he founded fashion house Off-White, which specializes in high-end streetwear.

After years of success, Virgil was appointed as the artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear ready-to-wear line in 2018.

NEWS OF ABLOH'S DEATH SHAKES FASHION WORLD

The surprising news of his death shook the fashion world and many designers and massive stars that Abloh has worked with took to social media to mourn the legendary artist.

Louis Vuitton executive director Bernault Arnault released a statement confirming Abloh's death, remembering the designer as a "genius" of his field.

"We are all shocked by this terrible news, Virgil was not only a genius designer, a visionary, he was also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom," Arnault wrote.

Lenny Kravitz, BTS, Riz Ahmed, Colman Domingo, the Weeknd, and Pharrell Williams all chimed in with tributes of their own.

“Rest in Power, King,” Kravitz wrote, sharing an image of Abloh modeling an Off-White hoodie. “You made an indelible mark on this world.”

"RIP Virgil Abloh, you will be missed. It was an honor to work with you. A true creative genius," BTS wrote.

Fashion giant Marc Jacobs was among those leading the tributes to the designer, writing: "I am so sorry to read this. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones."

"May you Rest In Peace and Power dear Virgil."


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