Ib Kamara is stepping down from his role at Italian luxury fashion brand Off-White.
Off-White was founded in 2012 by Virgil Abloh and followed the short-lived launch of his popular Chicago streetwear label, Pyrex Vision, according to High Sobriety. He sought to create a long-lasting brand, as Abloh noted in a 2018 interview with Teen Vogue.
“I realized that Pyrex Vision was an art piece. It was a one-time thing. And that I wanted to do something lasting,” he told Teen Vogue. “I also wanted to think of a concept that didn’t tie me down to my original concept. My goal was to tell a dialogue between high fashion and streetwear. So, the name Off-White, in my mind, is between black and white. So, that middle ground is a mixture between both genres of fashion.”
Abloh passed away in November 2021 after a battle with cancer. Ib Kamara came on shortly after, in 2022, serving as art and image director before being named chief creative director, Ebony magazine reports. Kamara had worked closely with the brand and Abloh for years and described his appointment as “an honor,” per WWD.
Kamara hosted three fashion shows following Bluestar Alliance’s acquisition of the brand from LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton in 2024, according to the outlet.
Now, he is stepping down. Ebony reports that no successor has been announced, and no runway show is scheduled for the next season.
“Working at Off-White has been an honor 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, according to WWD. “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.”
Joey Gabbay, CEO of Bluestar Alliance, commented:
“We are deeply grateful for Ib’s vision, creativity, and the remarkable energy he brought to Off-White throughout his tenure. Ib’s contributions have been instrumental in shaping and evolving the brand, and we sincerely thank him for his dedication and lasting impact.”