Popular snowboarding company Burton recently shared their second collaboration with the late artist, designer, and creative visionary Virgil Abloh. Two years in the making, the collection included 10 exclusive snow boards that were digitally auctioned on March 15th by the Virgil Abloh “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund. Additionally, a limited-edition collection of snowboards, boots, and bindings designed in conjunction with Abloh will be available for purchase on Burton website. Over the next three years, Burton plans to donate $300,000 to causes that will expand BIPOC representation—specifically in snowboarding— in celebration of Virgil’s life and legacy.
If you were curious about his connection to this particular collaboration, Abloh grew up snowboarding and has said that it influenced his perspective throughout his 20+ year career across fashion, art, design, music, and philanthropy. Virgil visited the Burton headquarters in Vermont in 2017 to get inspiration for a fashion-forward women’s outerwear collaboration with Burton and his brand Off-White™. In late 2020, Burton connected with him again about future projects.
“It was very important to Virgil that his next collaboration with Burton stands for something, that it shares a larger message, so he created a manifesto to guide the collection,” said Adrian Josef Margelist, Chief Creative Officer at Burton. “Every person who worked on this project, from the snowboard designers and the project managers to the riders at the photoshoot took Virgil’s words to heart. They became our manifesto, our mantra, our motivation. Virgil’s words say it best:”
In this collaborative Burton c/o Virgil Abloh collection, the 10 exclusive "Manifesto" snowboards digitally auctioned by the Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund furthers the brand's aim to ‘foster equity and inclusion within the fashion industry by providing scholarships to students of academic promise of Black, African American, or African descent.’ The Burton c/o Virgil Abloh Manifesto collection also aligns with Burton’s brand values and commitment to driving justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion for the long-term health of their company, sport, and community.
Burton’s team riders Brolin Mawejje and Zeb Powell shared their perspectives on the posthumous collaboration with Abloh.
“The Manifesto says it well. It’s not just an idea; it is beyond the conversation. It is happening. We are watching it happen and will continue to watch the sport of snowboarding grow,” said Mawejje.
“I try to leave my impact on snowboarders just like Virgil left an impact on me. Keeping up with me. Taking the time to talk, it meant so, so, much," said Powell.
Take a look below at some of the boards included in the Burton c/o Virgil Abloh collaboration:
