Although known for his genius music creativity, has he got style? Pharrell Williams is now the new designer for menswear at Louis Vuitton which is somehow exciting news because he the epitome of Virgil Abloh the renaissance man. Pharell Williams is a renaissance man in music, but can he bring sound into fashion? That’s very exciting!
After the passing of former Louis Vuitton designer Virgil Abloh in late 2021, the fashion house/LVMH has been discretely looking for that edgy man to design its menswear, although the brand had worked with other ‘maybe fit’ designers for the house like Colm Dillane a.k.a. KidSuper for Fall 2023 Menswear, etc, its decision was finalised on Pharrell Williams. Virgil Abloh’s shoes are very large to fill, but looking into an icon like Pharrell Williams might be the next extra large shoes to bring something new and different to fashion week.
Back in 2021, Abloh appeared on a podcast with Williams where he predicted his legacy and said “What I would be […] impressed by is the next candidate for a house that gets hired as the next head designer has this, like, multidisciplinary background and comes from, you know, not a fashion school and thinks in a different dimension and him get a shot.” indirectly passing the torch to Pharrell.
Bernard Arnault, the chief executive of LVMH, said in a released statement; “Virgil was not only a genius designer and a visionary, but he was also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom.”
Pharell is a grammy music producer and musician, he’s worked with various iconic designers starting from Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, to designing his streetwear brands Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream. He’s walked on Chanel’s runway presenting the brand’s des Metiers d’Art 2016/17 collection as well as launching his collaboration with the brand. He worked with Marc Jacaob when he was in charge of the womenswear at Louis Vuitton, William’s also worked with Moncler, Diesel, Adidas, and the list goes on.
According to Wall Street Journal, Pharrell Williams’s appointment at Louis Vuttion is immediate with the brand’s release statement that says; “Pharrell Williams is a visionary whose creative universes expand from music to art, and to fashion — establishing himself as a cultural, global icon over the past twenty years, the way in which he breaks boundaries across the various worlds he explores aligns with Louis Vuitton’s status as a Cultural Maison, reinforcing its values of innovation, pioneer spirit, and entrepreneurship.”
Louis Vuitton CEO Pietro Beccari added: “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. His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and very exciting chapter.”
