Pharrell Williams is the new creative director of Louis Vuitton’s men’s collection. Image Source: InStyle
Pharrell Williams is the new creative director of Louis Vuitton’s men’s collection.
Louis Vuitton announced on Tuesday that singer, music producer and designer, Pharrell Williams is going to serve as the next creative director of the brand’s menswear line after the passing of Virgil Abloh back in November 2021.
According to a statement shared on social media by the brand, Louis Vuitton is thrilled to welcome Pharrell Williams as its new Men's Creative Director. His first collection for Louis Vuitton will be unveiled during Men's Fashion Week in Paris next June. According to the statement, Pharrell Williams is a creative genius whose imaginative universes broaden from music to art and fashion, and who has established himself as a cultural global icon over the last twenty years. How he manages to break down the boundaries in the numerous worlds he explores is consistent with Louis Vuitton's status as a cultural mission, strengthening the brand's brand values of innovation, trailblazer spirit, and entrepreneurship.
Pietro Beccari, Louis Vuitton's Chairman and CEO, shared that they are delighted to have Pharrell back home, after they teamed up back in 2004 and 2008 for Louis Vuitton, as our new Men's Creative Director. Pietro said that Pharrell's creative vision outside of fashion will unquestionably guide Louis Vuitton into a brand-new and exciting chapter.
At the age of 41, Virgil Abloh died in November 2021 after a personal battle with cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer. The late designer established the streetwear label Off-White and was Kanye West's long-time creative director before being Louis Vuitton's first black artistic director and one of the French design house's few black designers in 2018. Before Virgil Abloh's death, Pharrell Williams and Virgil Abloh were close friends. Following Abloh's passing, the celebrity producer tweeted, "Virgil, my heart is broken. You were a considerate, compassionate, kind creative brilliant man."
Virgil Abloh, Pharrell's predecessor, was also intimately connected with the music business and his career helped bridge the divide between street fashion and premium fashion, encouraging a generation of creative-thinking people and style enthusiasts to glow brightly in their distinct and modern approach.
Pharrell Williams is an excellent addition to the LV community and a worthy successor to the endeavor, as his work has long motivated the same message of truthfulness and distinctiveness. With his Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream fashion brands, he has long led fashion trends. In maintaining Virgil Abloh's life's goal, BBC and Ice Cream enhance traditional urban wear pieces, such as jeans and hoodies, t-shirts, and baseball caps, with thriving prints that reference popular culture and the radical act of rising from the gutter to the stars.
In the Karl Lagerfeld-helmed 2005 issue of Interview, Pharrell told Nigo that every time they develop a brand-new shoe, a new shirt, or a pair of jeans, it tends to add another chapter to her vision come true, adding that it's from rags to riches.
Williams expanded his detailed design into the hospitality sector in 2019, working collaboratively with David Grutman, a Miami club owner-turned-developer on the Swan restaurant and Bar Bevy in the city's Design District. Following that, in 2021, the duo opened The Goodtime Hotel. His latest project is Human Race, a gender-neutral skincare line.
In 2015, Pharrell received the Fashion Icon Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, and he accepted the award while dressed in a blue leather jacket and worn-in jeans. During his acceptance speech, he said that no one has a better style than ordinary Americans. Because they are the real deal and live it every day. The singer admitted that he will never be as cool as them, but he is content to take notes.
Pharrell Williams was featured on the cover of the New York-based men's fashion magazine Adon in 2014, designed by French artist Grégoire Guillemin. He also created a €1,000 sneaker in collaborative efforts with Chanel and Adidas in 2017. Doodles named Williams Chief Brand Officer in June 2022. Doodles have indeed set a date for Williams to release a Doodles album, that will both be available to stream as well as sold exclusively as NFTs.
The fashion house already took the first step toward Abloh's succession when it hired KidSuper founder Colm Dillane as a new designer in January. However, the role would only be for one season, assisting the in-house design team. Pharrell Williams is pretty much permanent.
