The Virgil Abloh Collaborator Departs As Owner Bluestar Alliance Shifts The Brand Toward A Broader, Collaboration-Driven Creative Model
Ib Kamara is leaving his role as creative director of Off-White, ending a four-year tenure that began shortly after the death of founder Virgil Abloh and spanned the brand’s transition from LVMH ownership to Bluestar Alliance.
Kamara was appointed creative director in 2022 after years of collaborating with Off-White and working closely with Abloh, including at Louis Vuitton. He inherited the creative leadership of a brand closely associated with its founder at a moment when both Off-White and the wider high-end streetwear market were undergoing significant change.
“We are deeply grateful for Ib’s vision, creativity, and the remarkable energy he brought to Off-White throughout his tenure,” said Joey Gabbay, CEO of Bluestar Alliance. “Ib’s contributions have been instrumental in shaping and evolving the brand, and we sincerely thank him for his dedication and lasting impact.”
Bluestar acquired Off-White LLC from LVMH in September 2024, two years after Kamara’s appointment. Since the acquisition, Kamara staged three fashion shows in New York and Paris, including Off-White’s first New York runway show in September 2024 at Brooklyn Bridge Park.
His departure comes as Bluestar reshapes Off-White’s business and creative strategy. The company has reduced parts of the brand’s retail footprint, including closing its New York flagship and stores in China, while expanding into more accessible price points and new forms of distribution.
In June, Off-White introduced L/AB c/o Off-White, a lower-priced collection conceived as a reinterpretation of the Off-White For All concept originally developed by Abloh. The initiative has involved a range of musicians, models and other creatives as the company seeks to broaden the brand’s reach.
Off-White is also moving toward a more decentralized creative structure. Following Kamara’s final runway show in March, the company announced a project bringing together 10 outside collaborators to reinterpret elements of the brand’s archive and product vocabulary. Contributors include Kid Cudi, Raul Lopez, Guillermo Andrade, Veneda Carter and Renell Medrano, with the program expected to continue through April 2027.
The approach marks a significant change from relying on a single creative director to define the label following Abloh. No successor to Kamara has been announced, while Off-White, led by Chief Executive Cristiano Fagnani, has indicated that it remains open to working with Kamara again.
“Working at Off-White has been an honour and a profound creative education. The teams I have worked alongside, the collections we produced, the shows we dreamt, and the conversations we sparked — I will carry all of it with me, and I am deeply grateful for every person who gave their energy and talent to this vision,” Kamara said. “Off-White is bigger than any one idea, exactly as Virgil intended — a house with genuine values, rooted in culture, community, and the belief that fashion can speak to everyone. I leave with enormous pride in all we have made, and with nothing but excitement for what this house will continue to become.”
Kamara’s tenure carried the difficult task of establishing a creative identity for Off-White without severing its connection to Abloh, whose personal influence had been central to the brand’s rise. Kamara’s own work, which frequently explores gender, Black identity and cultural hybridity, provided continuity with some of the ideas that had shaped Off-White while establishing a distinct visual language of his own.
Alongside his work at Off-White, Kamara has maintained a broader career as a stylist and creative director. Born in Sierra Leone, he spent part of his childhood in The Gambia before moving to London at 16. His editorial and styling work has included collaborations with designers and fashion publications, and in June 2025 he launched Raw Materials by Ib Kamara, a multidisciplinary creative agency.
“Working at Off-White has been an honour and a profound creative education,” Kamara said. “Off-White is bigger than any one idea, exactly as Virgil intended — a house with genuine values, rooted in culture, community and the belief that fashion can speak to everyone.”
Kamara’s exit leaves Off-White at another transition point. Rather than immediately replacing Abloh’s successor with another singular creative figure, the company’s expanding roster of collaborators suggests Bluestar is testing a model in which multiple creative voices contribute to the brand. Whether that approach can establish a cohesive identity while broadening Off-White’s commercial reach will be a key question as the label enters its next phase.