UPDATE 6/2 11:07 PT: Virgil released a lengthy statement to his Instagram and revealed he donated beyond the $50 he was originally criticized for. Scroll through the entire thing (below)!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA6ObECpnvH/
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People are NOT happy with Virgil Abloh‘s show of support for those protesting George Floyd‘s death across the country.
On Sunday, the CEO of Off-White and Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton menswear took to Instagram and shared a screenshot of a $50 donation he made to the FEMPOWER Community Bond Fund, specifically created for any protestors arrested in the Miami area. However, many critics were quick to side-eye the designer for his measly monetary contribution while many others have dug deep into their wallets to support the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement.
Related: Pink Slams Critics Of Her Vocal Black Lives Matter Support!
It would appear Abloh had good intentions with his Instagram Story post, where he tagged other users to follow his lead, donate, and show support for the cause:
“The Miami community ~ I’m crazy inspired. For kids in the streets that need a bail funds for George Floyd protests”
As captured and seen (below):
But as we mentioned earlier, fans immediately slammed the donation amount for being too small — especially compared to what the designer sells in stores. For reference, the lowest priced accessory item listed for sale on the Off-White website is a $100 phone case listed on sale for $50. Have a look at what Twitics had to say about it (below):
A Fucking Off-White BINDER CLIP Costs More Money Than What Virgil Donated LMFAO pic.twitter.com/GyaBTNkvGP
— Peter Xinping 只有前进！???????? (@PeterXinping) June 1, 2020
I should be sleep, but I’m up thinking about how Virgil Abloh donated $50 and then told people
— Brittany Luse (@bmluse) June 1, 2020
us to the rich: OPEN YOUR PURSES AND HELP OUT
Virgil Aboh: bet pic.twitter.com/0yPQKA5PmQ
— kioko (@Sherr_16) June 1, 2020
Virgil Abloh selling socks that's worth the same as mortgages and said here's $50 my brother fight the power.
— Ahmed????????/Justice for Breonna & Elijah (@big_business_) June 1, 2020
people should donate whatever they want, but man … virgil abloh really just donated 11% of one off-white belt pic.twitter.com/UCmHLxJh0A
— Derek Guy (@dieworkwear) June 1, 2020
Virgil is a stingy man. That man sells y’all tshirts with Comic Sans font across it for hundreds of dollars and only donated $50.
— OLONI BABY (@Oloni) June 1, 2020
At one point, Abloh’s Wikipedia page was briefly changed to read Virgil “Cheap Ass” Abloh and Virgil “50$” Abloh… YIKES.
Have y'all seen Virgil Abloh's Wikipedia page ???? pic.twitter.com/5FtrxHY488
— Mako ✨ (@MakoNjeri) June 1, 2020
OK, here’s the thing: ANY donation towards this cause is important and people are more than welcome to contribute as they see fit — but considering celebs like Chrissy Teigen have already pledged $200,000 to bail funds for protestors, $50 definitely does seem pretty cheap!
To be fair, it’s unclear if Virgil also privately donated to other organizations and chose not to post about it, but the one he did share clearly doesn’t shine a favorable light on him. He has not yet released a statement either.
Related: NBA Star JR Smith Beats Alleged Car Vandal In Viral Video Captured At LA Protests!
We think it’s totally okay to feel and express disappointment over any way that public figures might not be using their platform in the best way possible right now. Every single voice counts and there are even more ways that you can be a part of the movement that doesn’t involve money at all. Do U guys think Virgil could’ve done a better job here??
Sound OFF with your opinions (below) in the comments…
[Image via Patricia Schlein/WENN]
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