Everyone has a Virgil story, whether it’s a fun photo with him, an inspirational anecdote or sincere text. Just scroll through your feed tonight. The outpouring of love is on a loop. The same screen-grab of a DM, the spirited vote of confidence. But, to those who received his energy, those interactions felt tailored, unique, and ours. He was a masterful designer…

He spent an obscene amount of energy on making us all feel individually special, seen, and represented. From streetwear fans who aspired to be the fashion designer to personal friends who stood behind him at the DJ Booth. He featured us on the runway, he chimed in on a Clubhouse talk, he was persistent about including skate and streetwear pioneers in his programs.

“End goal always,” he wrote. “Make sure our scene gets remembered in the right way.”

When they talk about this cancer that stole Virgil Abloh, they call it “rare and aggressive.” Those are words to also describe the man. Rare. Aggressive. Cancer, however, takes more than it needs and Virgil was the opposite: He gave more than he could.

I once got into a fight with Virgil. He bailed on a project at the eleventh hour. He apologized; he’d taken on too many requests.

“Why did you even say Yes to begin with?,” I demanded. I was so self-righteously angry.

“I’m the type to be open to all ideas. Saying ‘no’ isn’t my thing.”

Virgil Abloh, the Louis Vuitton artistic director and Off-White co-founder, said Yes. To his work, to his legacy. And most of all, he said Yes to us.