Creative director vacancy leaves Off-White resale prices down 9%
Ib Kamara is leaving Off-White after three years. With his resignation as creative director now official, the brand faces its first change of leadership since founder Virgil Abloh's death in 2021. Kamara, who had led the label since 2022, has not yet named a successor, and plans for the September show remain unannounced.
According to The RealReal's August resale report, GMV (gross merchandise value, the total sales volume on the secondhand market) for Off-White goods has fallen roughly 9% over the past year. Since Abloh's death, the brand has changed ownership three times: it moved from New Guards Group to Farfetch in 2019, LVMH acquired a 60% stake in 2021, and Bluestar Alliance took over in 2024. Along the way, the brand also closed its New York flagship store and pulled back its retail network in China.
Amid this backdrop, Off-White launched a lower-priced sub-line called 'L/AB c/o Off-White' last June, with T-shirts and hoodies priced in the low hundreds of dollars, alongside partnerships with Pacsun and Costco. The same period brought other strategic shifts, including a new watch collection, celebrity collaborations with the likes of Kid Cudi, and a move of its runway show from Paris to New York Fashion Week. Kamara's departure was announced just as these strategic pivots were converging.
