Music producer, entrepreneur, and style icon Pharrell Williams has been appointed as the new Menswear Creative Director of Louis Vuitton. This news broke during New York Fashion Week, with the first collection under Williams’ creative direction set to debut in June during men’s Paris Fashion Week. Pharrell Williams is no stranger to the fashion industry, having been involved in various collaborations with major brands such as Moncler, Louis Vuitton, and Adidas, and as a brand ambassador for Chanel. He also founded streetwear labels Billionaire Boys Club/ IceCream, as well as a skincare brand Humanrace.
Louis Vuitton’s Chairman and CEO, Pietro Beccari, expressed his excitement in welcoming Pharrell back to the brand after they collaborated in 2004 and 2008. He believes that Williams’ “creative vision beyond fashion will lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and exciting chapter.”
Many in the industry were surprised by Williams’ appointment, as emerging designers like Martine Rose, Grace Wales Bonner, Telfar Clemens, and Colm Dillane (KidSuper), were also being speculated to take on the role. It seems like LVMH and the luxury industry as a whole are increasingly focused on leveraging pop culture and celebrity partnerships to reach new audiences and drive sales, as evident from Rosalía recently performing during the Louis Vuitton F/W 23 Men’s show, the brand ambassadorship of Hoyeon Jung after she gained over 12 million followers in less than a month due to her acting debut in Squid Game, and Rihanna’s Fenty clothing line, in partnership with LVMH which shut down in 2021. Time will tell how Williams’ will take the brand in a new direction, but one thing for sure is that fans and consumers will be excitingly waiting for his debut collection this summer.
