Virgil Abloh among designers to create costumes for New York City Ballet gala

By

Emily Jensen

Published
Jul 25, 2017

The Off-White designer will join the likes of Monse’s Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim in creating costumes for the new works presented at New York City Ballet’s Fall Fashion Gala.

 
 
Sarah Jessica Parker first conceived of the fashion gala for the New York City Ballet in 2012 and since then designers such as Carolina Herrera, Thom Browne, Olivier Theyskens, and Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen have created designs for the ballet company. The gala pairs each designer with a choreographer to work in tandem to create a new work for the company.
 
As announced on Tuesday, Abloh will work with 18-year-old Gianna Reisen, the youngest person to ever choreograph for the company. Other designers include Monse founders Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, who will work with NYCB principal dancer Lauren Lovette; Japanese designer Tsumori Chisato, who will collaborate with resident choreographer and soloist Justin Peck; and Jonathan Saunders, of Diane von Furstenberg, who will be paired with soloist Troy Schumacher.

The fall gala will debut on September 28, with Parker acting as the event chair. The gala will also feature existing choreography from the company’s ballet master-in-chief, Peter Martins.
 
Abloh has greatly expanded his reach in the fashion world in recent months. Earlier this month it was announced his Off-White brand would create an eyewear collection with Warby Parker. Abloh was also tapped to collaborate with Ikea earlier this year, and is slated to receive a retrospective of his work at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art in 2019.
 
The New York City Ballet has also had a longstanding relationship with the fashion community. In addition to its annual fashion gala, five dancers from the company starred in the latest Cole Haan campaign.