Outerwear company Burton Snowboards unveiled the launch of its second collaboration with the late designer Virgil Abloh.
The Burton c/o Virgil Abloh collection includes black and white snowboards. Led by a single manifesto Abloh left behind after his passing, the clothing collection was crafted at Burton’s headquarters in Vermont. The collaboration honors Virgil’s commitment to women’s innovation, design, and outdoor activities and also emphasizes the importance of representation in snowboarding.
“Before we even started thinking about products, we thought about how we can take the next step,” says Adrian Josef Margelist. “These are goals Burton has anyway, but with the support of Virgil as a Black rider himself,” Burton’s chief creative officer then continues. “It was an opportunity to create something bigger than a traditional product collaboration.”
The collection release came out in two drops. The first drop auctioned off 10 exclusive snowboards via GiftSmart in mid-March. The second wave for public sale includes additional snowboarding materials such as boots and bindings. The snowboards’ list shows familiar brand colors such as red and blues, brand motifs, and personalized “Virgil Was Here” prints.
Abloh attributed snowboarding and outdoor experiences as major influences throughout his life. This launch with Burton came about due to their synergy around championing change. The goal is to provide the next generation of snowboarders with first-class equipment. Their first collaboration was in 2018 with Off-White™ with women’s outerwear clothes.
Proceeds from the auction will then go toward Abloh’s “Post-Modern” Scholarship fund. It provides fashion-industry scholarships to students of Black, African-American, or also African descent. Burton also plans to donate $300,000 to causes that support Black snowboarders within three years.
Written by: Franziska Pugh | @franziskapugh
