Louis Vuitton Debut Pharrell Williams’ First Collection as Creative Director of Menswear

Pharrell Williams and his cohort of well-dressed LV models just descended upon the historic Pont Neuf bridge in Paris to shut down the city as Skateboard P shows off his first collection as Creative Director of Menswear at Louis Vuitton.

Pharrell’s appointment came as somewhat of a surprise earlier this year, when the announcement was made in February, causing discourse over the fashion world about whether Pharrell was the right candidate to top the seemingly insuperable late Virgil Abloh.

Pharrell’s deep ties to the streetwear scene courtesy of Bape, Billionaire Boys Club, adidas and Moncler are well documented, although fashion elitists were taken aback by the possibility that someone without a linear design background could helm the great Louis Vuitton, despite the fact that Pharrell worked on the Millionaire Sunglasses with LV in the early 2000’s, later going on to deliver a fully fledged capsule with Chanel in 2019.

After months of anticipation and a concise Louis Vuitton merch drop for Pharrell’s Something in the Water Festival, our questions have finally been answered and we now have a look at what’s in store for Louis Vuitton’s Spring-Summer 2024 Menswear collection.

The Pont Neuf bridge was transformed into a “gold beacon” for the show, paying homage to Virgil’s last collection with the brand that took place on a yellow brick road, whilst honouring the vast heritage of Louis Vuitton through the Damier print that tied the collection together as a whole.

Music was always going to be a focal point of Pharrell’s maiden voyage at the ubiquitous luxury brand, commencing his SS24 preview with an orchestra playing ominous “final boss” music, before a Pharrell-produced Clipse song filled the speakers to set a zealous vibe for the outfits ahead. The rest of the show was backed by a live choir, decked out in tonal camo gowns, repeating “joy“ as a clear indication of Pharrell’s sheer cherishment of this historic moment.

Off the bat, the various digitised-camo pieces instantly draws the eye through the bridging of luxury compositions with urban design and nearly every look featured in the collection showed some form of Pharrell’s new, pixelated pattern of choice.

A meaningful portion of the Louis Vuitton SS24 collection opted for tones of green, brown and black, mirroring the earth-conscious ethos of Pharrell Williams, documented previously in collabs with Moncler and adidas.

Pharrell’s admiration for the finer things in life is no secret, and even before he was awarded the top position at LV, Williams would often be spotted with a monogrammed trunk or bag in tow and now, getting hands-on with the true craftsmanship of Louis Vuitton baggage, a collection of vibrant “Speedy” duffle bags were unveiled, arriving in blue, red, yellow, green and orange, each complete with contrasting, white monogram print, brown handles and gold-toned hardware.

Another centrepiece of LV’s savoir faire is the iconic trunk, that appeared here in various shapes, sizes and combinations, being transported across the catwalk on a buggy for bystanders to admire whilst a score of upbeat, gospel-esque music played in the background.

Shifting to another of LV’s most famous designs, the square Damier pattern that was first created in 1888 shows just how timeless it really is, appearing in this collection across leather jackets, two-pieces and packs, featured in the traditional brown and more contemporary colourings like yellow and purple. Pharrell also cited the Damier pattern as the jumping off-point for the pixelated camo that was prevalent across the entire collection.

For the most part, sartorial looks were built from business-savvy upper halves and short-cut trousers, with some favouring matching wellington boots on-foot.

Stand-alone standouts include this bright yellow fur coat, longtime collaborators of Pharrell, No Malice and Pusha T of Clipse wearing hand-painted leather numbers and UK rapper Dave sporting a croc-leather varsity jacket.

The showcase concluded with all of the models taking centre stage at once, preceding an appearance from an emotional Pharrell donning a leather, digital-camo suit that coordinated with his equally teary family, who embraced the artist before rounds of applause were given to Pharrell and his team.