To say Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton tenure has started with a bang would be a massive understatement.
The musician-turned-designer presented his debut men’s collection as Louis Vuitton’s artistic director during Paris Fashion Week on the evening of June 20, a show that blurred the lines between fashion and entertainment.
Even without a 100-person-strong gospel choir, back-up band, battalion of models, Pont Neuf bridge takeover, and Queen Bey herself making an extremely rare front row appearance, Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton debut was still mightily impressive, with Damier-patterned statement pieces, new LV handbags, and bizarro footwear laid bare for all to see.
Still, if you haven't yet seen enough of Pharrell and Louis Vuitton for one day, you're in luck. Highsnobiety headed to Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2024 showroom to get up close and ph-ersonal with Pharrell's debut collection.
Let's start with footwear, an aspect of the show that certainly caught the eye and is clearly high on the agenda for SS24. Louis Vuitton's colorful array of sneakers not only solidified the notion that Pharrell will be continuing where the late Virgil Abloh left off when it comes to skate-inspired looks, it also cements the fact that luxury is actually learning how to make a damn good sneaker. Finally.
Bowling-style shoes with panelling down the centre were also joined by some crazy fluffy monogram slippers, the latter pair donned by A$AP Rocky during Pharrell's LV presentation.
The colorful varsity jackets worn by Dave and Pusha T as they strolled down Pont Neuf look as impressive in the flesh as they did on the runway, not least alongside a plethora of opulent handbags, eyewear, and some grizzly padded gloves to match the huge slipper-inspired shoes.
Pharrell's Parisian takeover has certainly got off to an impressive start, and that's it: it's only the start.
Alongside debuting his first collection as Louis Vuitton's head honcho, Pharrell is also hosting a pop-up diner to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Billionaire Boys Club, a Samba cafe with adidas and his Humanrace label, and a high-profile auction with colette co-founder Sarah Andelman curated for JOOPITER, Pharrell's auction house.
This season's Paris Fashion Week really is the Pharrell show, which is why we're still dubbing it "Phashion Week." You can use that, if you'd like.
