Virgil Abloh, the founder of Miami street-wear label Off-White, has been announced as Louis Vuitton’s (LV) next men’s wear artistic director. The long-time fashion director of Kanye West, Abloh accepted this position in late March, making him the first African American artistic director and one of the few black designers in an old and powerful European luxury business house.

During a phone call with The New York Times, Abloh noted that he felt “elated,” that this opportunity will be the time to introduce “the next chapter of design and luxury” for a brand “that represents the pinnacle of luxury.” Abloh plans to introduce a more modern aspect to the Louis Vuitton fashion line, planning to relocate his entire family to Paris to LV’s Moet Hennessy stable. Abloh’s predecessor, long time associate Kim Jones of Louis Vuitton, will be taking up a position with a long time LV stablemate, Christian Dior.

The reason for Abloh’s appointment appears to be that luxury goods are becoming increasingly more popular with a street wear twist. This disclosure illustrates increasing demand in consumer tastes, for the aforementioned intermingle, apparently boosting global sales by 5% last year according to a recent study by the global consulting firm Bain & Company. The executive chief of Louis Vuitton, Michael Burke, noted that “Virgil is incredibly good at creating bridges between the classics” and the more modern street wear fashion of today. Prior to becoming Louis Vuitton’s men’s wear artistic director, Abloh was an intern at Fendi with Kanye West. Abloh has been said to have brought a new vibe to style, bringing a modern twist to old school luxury brands such as Fendi.

At the moment, Abloh is 37-years-old. The Ghanaian American was raised in Illinois and is considered the pinnacle of “cool” by millions of consumers, and characterized as an individual who is witty and self-aware. Despite a lack of formal fashion education, he did receive informal fashion training from his mother, who was a seamstress, eventually opening his street culture store Off-White, a reference to his acknowledgement of old barriers breaking down. The success of his brand has truly flourished, with Abloh receiving the Urban Luxe award at the British Fashion Awards last year.

Off-White’s popularity has soared in recent years, with the company’s Instagram account currently at 3.1 million followers. Store line riots have also appeared across numerous stores to further highlight the brand’s treasured apparel. Part of the consistent hype that circulates Off-White is its frequent collaboration with large and well known clothing apparel brands. Nike, Jimmy Choo, and Moncler have all collaborated with Abloh in the past, with Abloh currently collaborating with Takashi Murakami on a new set of seasonal clothing pieces.

As Abloh heads off in a new direction with Louis Vuitton, Burke hopes that Abloh can make the old luxury fashion brand more appealing to a new generation of individuals. With a successful brand such as Off-White, Burke puts his full faith into a man who has changed the history of fashion forever.