A Louis Vuitton menswear designer had to respond and clear his name after he shared his $50 donation to an online fundraiser.
Virgil Abloh, after being the target of vicious attacks and jeers online, said he has actually contributed more than $20,000 to the cause.
Abloh said he refrained from sharing the exact amount of his contribution because he felt like it may give the impression that the size of the donation is the most important aspect. However, he did apologize that his initial post stirred confusion and disappointment online.
The 39 year old designer is the creative director for Louis Vuitton with a specialty in menswear. Many online users, including his fellow African Americans, expressed their anger after Abloh said that he has contributed $50 “for kids in the streets”.
He had contributed to one of the online fundraisers that is collecting money to help bail out the protestors who have been arrested around the US as the protests entered into its 8th day. Thousands of protestors have already been arrested.
After his donation, which many deemed stingy, became viral, Internet users have fiercely humiliated and attacked Abloh. For instance, his Wikipedia page had been vandalized multiple times. One edition mockingly called him Mr. 50$, while others used more explicit language.
Not surprisingly, these edited pages were then circulated among social media users who joined in the attack against Abloh. As the attack intensified, the designer had to clear himself by mentioning his much bigger contribution.
He explained that as the son of Ghanaian immigrant, the notion that black lives matter is so clear and important to him. He clarified that the post where he mentioned the $50 was him taking part in an online relay that one of his friends asked Abloh to join.
In the same post, Abloh also further explained his previous remarks that users deemed critical towards the raiding of luxury stores – including an instance in LA where Louis Vuitton goods were sold.
He said that he is okay if acts such as looting is a way some people use to cope with a situation like this one. The designer also said that he is lucky enough that he can rebound even if some stores are looted.
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Replaced!