The Pont Neuf, the ancient bridge in Paris, played host to a groundbreaking event on Tuesday evening: Pharrell Williams’s inaugural collection for luxury brand Louis Vuitton menswear. Unsurprisingly, given his status as a musician, producer, and entrepreneur with over 14 million Instagram followers, the audience was filled with A-list celebrities. Among the guests were Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, Zendaya, Lewis Hamilton, Kelly Rowland, Tyler, the Creator, and Kim Kardashian. Some stayed after the show for Jay-Z’s performance, where Williams joined him on stage for their 2003 song “Frontin’.”
Williams was appointed as the creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear in February, a surprising choice after British designers Grace Wales Bonner and Martine Rose had been favored for the role. However, Tuesday’s show provided an explanation for Williams’s selection. It was not merely a fashion show, but a celebrity showcase, concert, and party all rolled into one, with fashion being an added bonus.
The catwalk presentation featured a combination of maximalist designs adorned with LV logos, including a fuzzy, full-length coat and a football-style shirt with the Louis Vuitton crest. Smart tailoring and numerous bags were also showcased. One standout moment was a Jeep convertible driving down the runway with luggage stacked inside – a first in the fashion industry. The phrase “LV is for Lovers” paid homage to Williams’s home state of Virginia and its tagline “Virginia is for lovers.” Williams, wearing a pixelated camouflage suit matching his four children’s outfits in the front row, took a bow at the end.
Williams’s appointment as the creative director has sparked discussions due to his lack of formal training as a designer. However, as Chris Black, co-host of the style and pop culture podcast How Long Gone, points out, Williams possesses cultural capital. In today’s modern age, the role of a creative director is more about vibe and vision. Black states, “I hate to say it, but I think that the product is almost the least important, or it’s at least the third or fourth most important [thing].”
Crucially, Williams has a wealth of experience collaborating with fashion brands. He has been working with Adidas since 2014, launched his own brand Billionaire Boys Club in 2005, and introduced a skincare brand called Humanrace in 2020. He previously collaborated with Louis Vuitton in 2008 on a highly successful pair of sunglasses called Millionaires, alongside then-creative director Marc Jacobs.
Williams’s appointment follows the unfortunate passing of the previous creative director in 2021. Virgil Abloh, a friend of Williams, introduced a new perspective on luxury by drawing inspiration from pop culture, hip-hop, and anti-racist activism. Williams has expressed his intention to continue building on Abloh’s work by bringing Black experiences to a fashion house rooted in a predominantly white elite tradition. The release of the first ad campaign, featuring a pregnant Rihanna, was a part of that objective.
The attendance of Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, and other prominent Black American figures at Williams’s debut show showcased his influence and the power of Black culture on a global stage. In the New York Times, Jon Caramanica posited that Williams’s presence at Louis Vuitton could be seen as a significant acknowledgement of the strength of Black cultural capital worldwide.
“This was not just a catwalk show,” says Osman Ahmed, fashion features director at i-D magazine. “It was the entire center of Paris shutting down for a fashion show. It was Beyoncé in the midst of a world tour making an appearance, and Rihanna and A$AP Rocky showing up halfway through. It’s surreal because it highlights the immense power involved – cultural, financial, fashion, and artistic power. We will undoubtedly witness the aftershocks of this moment in the industry for years to come.”
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
