Influential musician and entrepreneur, Pharrell Williams, was officially appointed the new creative director of menswear at Louis Vuitton on February 15, a position that was previously held by Virgil Abloh from 2018 until his death in late 2021.
The announcement puts to bed months of speculation around who would succeed Abloh, where the names of designers like Grace Wales Bonner, Telfar Clemens and Martine Rose were thrown into the ring, including Colm Dillane who collaborated with the Louis Vuitton men’s studio for the French Maison's AW23 collection.
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“I am glad to welcome Pharrell back home after our collaborations in 2004 and 2008 for Louis Vuitton, as our new Men’s Creative Director," Pietro Beccari, the Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton said in a press release. "His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and very exciting chapter.”
When will Pharrell make his debut at Louis Vuitton?
Pharrell Williams will debut his first collection for Louis Vuitton on June 20, 2023 during men's fashion week in Paris to the hungry eyes of the fashion world. It's too early to theorise about what we can expect from Williams' tenure at the House. No doubt, he was selected for his cross-disciplinary practice and own openness to collaboration, a trait which has become synonymous with Abloh's time at Louis Vuitton.
What is Pharrell's fashion background?
While Pharrell Williams has arguably made his biggest impact in the music industry as a record producer and musician, he's no stranger to the world of fashion.
As Beccari mentioned, Williams has shared history with Louis Vuitton where he debuted a line of sunglasses for the house back in 2008. He also guest designed a collection for Chanel in 2019, served as a muse for Karl Lagerfeld, regularly collaborates with Tiffany & Co. and Adidas, and is set to unveil new design concepts at Moncler’s forthcoming Genius activation.
That's all before we dig into Williams' own fashion projects. He's a co-owner of G-Star Raw Denim, and streetwear brand Human Made alongside Kenzo creative director Nigo. He founded the Billionaire Boys Club and Icecream clothing lines, and in late 2020 the visionary moved into the realm of beauty with his gender neutral skin care line Humanrace.
With decades of experience under his belt, we cannot wait to see what Louis Vuitton menswear will look like under Pharrell Williams. June could not come any quicker.
Image: @louisvuitton
