Chief Executive Officer of Off-White and the artistic director of Louis Vuitton's men's wear collection, Virgil Abloh is receiving flak for donating just $50 to George Floyd protestors' bail fund.
Virgil had also received backlash for his comments about the looting during the protest. On Tuesday, he took to his Instagram to share a statement to address the same. He wrote, "I can understand your frustration if you think my contribution were limited to $50. Purely false when it comes to the total. I have donated $20,500 to bail funds and other causes related to this movement. I will continue to donate more and will continue to use my voice to urge my peers to do the same."
Speaking about his comments over the looting, he wrote, "People who criticize ‘looting’ often do so as a way to make it seem like our fight against injustice isn’t legitimate. I did not realize the ways my comments accidentally contributed to that narrative. As mentioned yesterday, if looting eases pain and furthers the overall mission, it is within good standing with me."
Check out his post here:
Protests have taken place across the U.S. this week after Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in police custody after he was accused of attempting to use a counterfeit 20 USD bill at a Minneapolis deli. After the protesters were arrested, several celebrities donated money towards funds that pay the bail for low-income individuals who could not otherwise afford it. American fashion designer also took to his Instagram story to share a screenshot of his donation. He captioned the story, "The Miami community ~ I’m crazy inspired. For kids in the streets that need a bail funds for George Floyd protests. Matching the local energy."
The 39-year-old multi-millionaire received severe backlash for donating just $50. Netizens took to Twitter to slam Abloh. A user wrote, "I really cannot believe Virgil Abloh has the audacity to post that screenshot of his $50 donation. I’m speechless every time I see it."
Another tweeted, "Virgil Abloh selling socks that's worth the same as mortgages and said here's $50 my brother fight the power"
Here's how Twitter had reacted to Virgil Abloh's donation:
