The Edit
🧪 Tiny Habit, Big Swing
003: Mental Mosaic- Timeless wisdom, made actionable for life, work & money.
Rather learn about the Louvre Heist: We often think greatness requires grand gestures- but what if brilliance hides in the 3% tweak, not the 97% we replace?
I. Virgil Abloh - Modern Alchemist
Bio (1980-2021): Architect, Kanye’s Album Covers, Creative Director Louis Vuitton
See-through Rimowa suitcase —don’t we all struggle to find where we packed it?
Virgil Abloh didn’t reinvent fashion — he remixed it:
A see-through luggage bag.
A luxury handbag held shut with a binder clip.
Often, they were just a single word, like “TEMPORARY,” plastered across an IKEA wall clock’s face.
Each design looked familiar yet subtly off kilter, charged with irony and cultural commentary. Abloh called it:
“The gray area between black and white.”
II. The 3 Percent
Why mess with an Icon?
In a 2017 Harvard lecture, he revealed his core method:
“I was only interested in restraining myself and only editing it 3 percent.”
For his Nike collaboration, he didn’t build new sneakers. He deconstructed icons — Air Jordans, Air Force 1s — then added small yet potent changes: plastic zip ties, quotation marks, exposed foam.
That minimal edit — just three percent — transformed ordinary into iconic. They sold out almost instantly.
III. The Blueprint
In case you weren’t sure
Abloh’s philosophy transcended design —his fingerprints were everywhere, from sneakers to wedding gowns. It’s also a blueprint to build a life.
When perfectionism freezes you or social media makes you feel perpetually behind, try Abloh’s approach: micro-edits, not massive overhauls.
In a world obsessed with reinvention, Abloh reminds us that iteration is underrated.
IV. Try Your Own 3 Percent
A few experiments to start:
Instead of “I’ll run a marathon someday,” try a 5-minute jog today.
Catch up with a long-lost friend.
Hunt for an art piece to liven up your living room.
The familiar, when slightly altered, becomes art.
So does a life.
V. The Closing Question
Abloh’s genius wasn’t about doing everything.
It was about changing something — deliberately, playfully, 3 percent at a time.
What’s the 3 percent shift you’ll make this week?
In the spirit of Abloh, consider alchemizing your own life with micro-edits. Retain the familiar. Add a touch of novelty.