The world remembers Virgil Abloh’s lasting impact, Fotografiska sets its sights on three new cities, and Baby Boomers grow old in style. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
The world mourns death of visionary designer Virgil Abloh
The multi-hyphenate creator Virgil Abloh died on Sunday at the age of 41 after a private battle with cancer. Abloh, the founder of streetwear brand Off-White and the first Black man to be named artistic director for Louis Vuitton, is considered a genius in his field. Always willing to push boundaries with his thought-provoking designs, Abloh’s work bridged the worlds of fashion, commerce, art, design, and architecture, writes GQ. He also worked with many celebrities—including Kanye West, Pharrell, Frank Ocean, and more—who took to social media to mourn his death. At the recent Louis Vuitton runway show in Miami, which featured Abloh’s Spring-Summer collection, a prerecorded voiceover from Abloh closed the evening. “There’s no limit,” he said. “Life is so short that you can’t waste even a day subscribing to what something thinks you can do versus knowing what you can do.”
Beer brand Corona unveils sustainable island resort
Corona recently revealed plans for Corona Island, a sustainable destination in the Caribbean Sea, set to open in late spring 2022. The island, according to Hotel Business, is striving to become Blue Verified by Oceanic Global as part of the international NGOs Blue Standard program. The all-inclusive resort will focus on conscious consumption and sustainable living, with workshops including guided meditations and visits to an onsite farm that supplies the island’s ingredients. “Corona Island is unlike anything we’ve ever done before,” says Felipe Ambra, global vice president of Corona. “As a brand that’s so deeply connected with nature, we wanted to pay respect to and celebrate the natural environment that supplies our 100 percent natural ingredients. Now more than ever, people have a need to safely reconnect with the outdoors.”
Fotografiska set to become the largest private art museum in the world
A rendering of the forthcoming Fotografiska Miami, designed by Rockwell Group
Three new outposts of photography museum Fotografiska in Berlin, Miami, and Shanghai will join sister locations in Stockholm and New York in the next two years. Once finished, it will be the largest private art museum in the world in terms of square footage and shows staged per year. A slew of design powerhouses will help bring that vision to life. David Rockwell will revive the 1943-built Allapattah factory into the Miami outpost; Herzog & de Meuron, along with Studio Aisslinger, have been tapped to design the Berlin location; and local firm Neri&Hu will transform a former warehouse into Shanghai’s cultural institution. The expansion plans come after a merger with Neuehouse earlier this year, which formed parent company CultureWorks.
Senior living gets a luxe upgrade
Inspīr Carnegie Hill; photo by Evan Jospeh
The New York Times goes long on the recent spate of luxury senior living homes that have sprung up in places like New York City. Among the posh new offerings is Inspīr Carnegie Hill (designed by Handel Architects) on the Upper East Side and the soon-to-open Coterie in Hudson Yards (also spearheaded by Handel Architects, with interiors by March and White Design). The upscale retirement homes are more akin to a 5-star resort than traditional nursing home, catering to “the silver tsunami,” the wave of aging Baby Boomers “who have become accustomed to a certain quality of life,” writes the newspaper. Despite the amenities (Inspīr recently streamed a concert by Yo-Yo Ma at the nearby 92nd Street Y to the in-house TV channel), there is a hefty cost that comes with living in luxury. Fees start at $13,500 for Inspīr, with a penthouse going for nearly $30,000 a month.
The real-life Home Alone house can be yours for one night only
Photo by Sarah Crowley
Christmas has come early for all you filthy animals. In partnership with Airbnb, four guests will get the chance to spend one night at the iconic Home Alone house on December 12th for only $25. Coinciding with the release of a new installment of the franchise, Home Sweet Home Alone on Disney+, the promotion invites those nostalgic for their own holiday hijinks to enjoy the McCallister’s lavish Chicago abode as well as some of the movie’s best-known perks, from Chicago pizza to a candlelit dinner of mac and cheese. The two-bedroom, 1.5 bathroom house in Winnetka, Illinois was sold to its current owners in 2012 for $1.5 million, reports NPR.
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