Virgil Abloh, founder of high-fashion streetwear brand Off-White and creative director for Kanye West, has been named the new menswear artistic director for Louis Vuitton.

He is the first African-American artistic director the brand, and is one of the few designers of color to helm a major fashion house, following Olivier Rousteing for Balmain and Ozwald Boateng for Givenchy (during 2003-2007), the New York Times reports.

Abloh will debut his first collection for Vuitton in June for men's fashion week in Paris. He replaces Kim Jones , who left in January to become the menswear designer for Christian Dior, a position previously held by Kris Van Assche for 11 years. Like Abloh, Jones will also host his first show for Dior in June.

The Off-White designer announced his new position late last night with a cryptic picture of a Vuitton trunk on Instagram.

View full post on Instagram

"I feel elated," Abloh told the New York Times . "This opportunity to think through what the next chapter of design and luxury will mean at a brand that represents the pinnacle of luxury was always a goal in my wildest dreams. And to show a younger generation that there is no one way anyone in this kind of position has to look is a fantastically modern spirit in which to start."

Louis Vuitton CEO Michael Burke praised Abloh's "innate creativity and disruptive approach (that) have made him so relevant, not just in the world of fashion but in popular culture today."

Indeed, since meeting Kanye over 10 years ago and founding Off-White in 2013, Abloh has risen to prominence with beyond just fashion folk, and has become a favorite among stylish young people. (He often makes a cameo on Bella Hadid's Instagram.) The designer will continue to helm Off-White and collaborate with West.

Virgil and Naomi Campbell at the Off-White Spring 2018 show in Paris

His first order of business at Vuitton? Creating an "eight-page brand manual" to "define new codes," Abloh explained to NYT . "My muse has always been what people actually wear, and I am really excited to make a luxury version of that."

Associated Press contributed reporting.

Erica Gonzales

Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now.