It is official: Pharrell Williams is the next designer of Louis Vuitton Men’s. In a move that will shake up the luxury menswear landscape and mark a new era of renowned fashion designers, global celebrities and fashion aficionados has been announced by LVMH, the parent company. by Louis Vuitton, choosing to take over the job held by Virgil Abloh before his death in 2017. The end of 2021. Pharrell’s debut collection will be launched in Paris in June.
in one declare, Pietro Beccari, President and CEO of Louis Vuitton described Pharrell’s appointment as a trip back home. “I am delighted to welcome Pharrell back home, after our collaborations in 2004 and 2008 for Louis Vuitton, as our new Male Art Director. His creative vision beyond fashion is sure to take Louis Vuitton to an exciting new chapter.”
Pharrell has a long history of collaborating with luxury brands, starting with Louis Vuitton. In 2004, he collaborated with Marc Jacobs, then Vuitton’s creative director, on a line of sunglasses, reissued by Abloh—a friend and collaborator of Pharrell’s—in 2018. Pharrell also did Design collaboration with Chanel and Moncler, will launch a new collection under the Pharrell brand this weekend in London. He also has a longstanding partnership with Adidas Originals and recently launched a skincare line, Humanrace.
For decades, Pharrell has embodied a hyper-modern style that has now resonated deeply with a new generation of fashion fans. “When you listen to yourself and feel comfortable with who you are, you wear what you feel is right and right for you. And that’s it,” he told GQ in 2019, when he front New masculine problem wearing an evening gown. In the early 2000s, as the frontman of NERD, he broke the mold of hip-hop by integrating elements of skateboarding. His burgeoning sensibility eventually predicted the rise of sexist clothing when he embraced the womenswear designs of Phoebe Philo, Céline’s creative director at the time, and he became the first man to appear in a Chanel commercial in 2017.
The relationship between Pharrell and LVMH was tightened before the appointment. LVMH installed the innovative consignor of Pharrell, the Japanese manufacturer and designer Nigeria. Pharrell is now regularly in the front row at Kenzo shows. He also recently sported custom diamond-encrusted sunglasses he designed with Tiffany & Co., LVMH’s newest luxury brand.
Installing Pharrell at Louis Vuitton Men’s will be a sign of LVMH’s strategy to transform its luxury brands into global pop culture movements. Louis Vuitton’s collaboration with Yayoi Kusama has seen cities around the world covered in the Japanese designer’s polka dots, and the most recent Louis Vuitton Men show showcased a Rosalia’s concert that has little to do with clothes, but everything to do with creating a big social media moment. That collection, featuring pieces designed by KidSuper’s Colm Dillane as a guest, put Dillane in a prime position to win a creative director gig. But LVMH is probably thinking bigger and adopting the same turnaround strategy as it did at Tiffany’s. by LVMH Tiffany’s reboot began with a campaign led by Beyoncé and Jay-Z, and has since continued to include Pharrell himself. When asked by WWD about the custom diamond sunglasses, Pharrell hinted that they were just the first glimpse of a long-term partnership. “Tiffany and I are engaged,” I said WWDsays that he and the NYC-based jeweler have “many things” at work.
Now, Pharrell has been promoted to one of the most visible roles in menswear and will be responsible for producing two collections per year including bags, accessories and ready-to-wear. Pharrell hasn’t commented yet but Instagram Story is amazing post by his friend Pusha-T says it all: this is happening, and it’s definitely a big deal.
