Pharrell brings the stars out for his Louis Vuitton debut

Music & style visionary Pharrell Williams brought the stars out and lit up the “City of Lights” for his debut SS24 collection as creative director of Louis Vuitton. It’s not often – or ever – that we see Beyonce use her tour rest day to sit front row and headbop at a Paris fashion show. Likewise, it’s usually a myth to think Jay-Z would host a Pont Neuf bridge runway afterparty by performing his hits like Skateboy P produced “I just wanna love u” and “n*ggaz in Paris” to get the people going. Not forgetting heavyweight names like Skepta, fashionably late but always trend early ASAP Rocky & Rihanna, Micheal Ward with ballers Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford all showcasing 1 of 1 looks from the new Louis Vuitton house that Pharrell built. But did we expect anything less from Williams, a Grammy-winning fashion force?

But what of the actual designs? Did Pharrell deliver with his LV-overs – or lovers themed show? Surprisingly, he did better than many expected (dare I say I told you so?). For someone who honestly acknowledged that Louis Vuitton “took a bet…on an untrained black man” during his pre-show speech, this collection was a well-spoken conversation between a top-tier ideas guy and the excellent LV ateliers & designers. Pharrell day-ones will be quick to notice elevated glimpses of his style DNA, from his red varsity bombers, to his love for denim, pearled out accessories & shades and unisex Chanel-esque dressy jackets. 

Also, the looks were for sure a smooth transition from the late, great Virgil Abloh’s fantasy world for LV: you can still see Abloh’s introduction of flared wide-leg trousers, paper bag style accessories and coffee cup in this SS24 offering.

Impressively, 50-year old P was quick to put a young & tasteful spin on things. The pieces brought multiple fun, pixelated and minecraft-looking iterations of Louis Vuitton’s beloved square damier motif, with the best version being the new “damoflauge” print. The fitting name alone is a solid 10, and as we’ve mentioned in previous articles, fun, gamified, cartoon fashion is a big deal right now so this is right on trend.

What better way to introduce new sturdy and attitude-heavy leather jackets than with South London bred geniuses Dave and Gabriel Moses rocking them as surprise models.

Other highlights include playful leather sport shirts, pearl-encrusted beanies & denim, reptile leather sneakers, jackets & backpacks, new “buttery” and collapsable leather LV duffles, LV print large Alma bags and wellington looking rider boots.

All in all the show proved Pharrell’s appointment a “beautiful orchestration” between star power, vision and luxury, with Williams’ handpicked choir singing “JOY”, a harmonious orchestra, and new Pusha T bangers (and Pusha himself walking the runway) at the show coincidentally proving this point. Pharrell had a hand in music production, design, and performance: this is a true redefining of the creative director role.

What do you think?