Louis Vuitton Designer Virgil Abloh Addresses The $50 Donation He Gave Protestors

Virgil Abloh, Louis Vuitton's menswear artistic director and the brand's first African American designer, is setting the record straight. The designer was under fire after he shared a receipt showing that he only donated $50 to help bail out those protesting George Floyd's death.

On Instagram, he explains that the entire incident is a misunderstanding. In a lengthy statement, he starts by saying, "I am a black man. A dark black man. Like dark-dark. On an average trip to the grocery store in Chicago I fear I will die."

He then goes on to justify the receipt he showed on his Instagram story. "I also joined a social media chain of friends who were matching $50 dollar donations," he wrote before revealing that he actually donated $20,500. He also adds that he initially didn't want to publicize the dollar amount he gave. "I was on the fence about publicizing total dollar amounts because I didn’t want to look like I’m glorifying only higher amounts or that I want to be applauded for it."

Read the full statement from Virgil Abloh below.