The fashion clock never stops, and it seems Virgil Abloh is the hand that keeps things turning. Back on our radar with his Pre-Fall 2021 collection for Louis Vuitton Men’s, latest offering for the French luxury house charts the evolution of our current ruling establishment.

Though our future remains unclear through issues of the political, environmental and, of course, with coronavirus still wreaking havoc across the country, Abloh’s designs consider how we should go about consolidating this new normality. It’s all about old codes and new values, the mundanity and simultaneously timeless concept of a staple suit or well-cut trouser, the tradition and forward-thinking energy of a , you know, that kind of thing.

Ever the wordsmith, archive quotes from the Vocabulary according to Virgil Abloh (published seasonally as part of his Louis Vuitton practice) adorn a plethora of garments throughout the collection. “Separate fashion from fiction” and “Don’t let your day job define you” feature on intarsia knits, debossed on leather blusson’s, emergent on water reactive coats, while the house’s signature checkerboard gets a denim revamp on holdalls, two-sets and wide-brimmed bucket hats.

Abloh’s affinity with embossing motifs rears its head too, with Vuitton insignia rolling down the sleeve of a thick double-breasted overcoat and a lightweight heather-grey sports jacket, paired with a cherry dice necklace. It’s all about the little details, the twists on classic accessories, the reinventions of the past whether it be through fabric or colour, where Abloh’s imagination truly runs wild. As long as he’s imagining a future where ‘00s Murakami prints are back in production (yes, the rainbow ones), we’ll be there…