Shaun White Opens Up About Working With Virgil Abloh, Unveils Louis Vuitton Snowboarding Collection Collab

Shaun White’s newly launched brand Whitespace and Louis Vuitton have joined forces to unveil a series of unique snowboarding accessories that merges White’s championship DNA with Louis Vuitton’s high-end materials.

The Olympian took to Instagram to share images of the collection and a touching note about the late Virgil Abloh.

Included in the carousel of images that White shared was a screenshot of a conversation between him and Abloh where the two were ideating different pieces that would be included in this collection. Among them is a snowboard case that is fitted to look like it’s built for a guitar, suitcases, and other luggage that is all wrapped in LV’s monogram print along with Whitespace’s own branding.

Whitespace launched on Jan. 13, and White told Men’s Health that the reason he wanted to focus on luggage for this collection was because he has a passion for collecting it.

“I love vintage suitcases and luggage—I actually collect [them],” he said. “I always wanted to make a Louis Vuitton trunk that carries my equipment.”

White also went into more detail with VMan about how he first got in contact with Abloh and how the collaboration came about.

“We ran into each other at Mammoth snowboarding,” White explained. “I’d heard that he snowboarded, but I didn’t know that he was a fanatic. He was an incredibly nice guy, so enthusiastic about life and about snowboarding and was such a fun guy to be around. We stayed in touch, and then when I was thinking about launching my own snowboarding company I remember thinking, ‘wow, I’ve got this amazing friend and contact that’s like, a legend in the space of fashion, why don’t I reach out and get some advice?’”