Behold Louis Vuitton's Final Pre-Pharrell Menswear Collection
Louis Vuitton is about to be get the Pharrell treatment, with the singer-turned-creative-director debuting his Spring/Summer 2024menswear collection for the luxury label on June 20, 2023. As we await the first taste of Pharrell's LV, though, we're certainly not hurting for any Louis Vuitton action.
Designed by Louis Vuitton's in-house studio team, the same crew responsible for 2022's interim fashion collections and Virgil Abloh tributes, Pre-Spring/Summer 2024 is the final LV men's collection to not be graced by Pharrell's touch, so don't consider this a sneak peek of his Louis Vuitton vision.
Instead, look at this line as a stopgap between Virgil Abloh and Pharrell Williams, the last Louis Vuitton offering to be informed by the former and not influenced by the latter.
As a result, the Pre-SS24 offering is a case study in contemporary Louis Vuitton.
A vast array of disparate menswear cues appear in the stylized imagery, which situates models on a scenic sunset trek amidst trees, sand, ponds, and moss. Handsome photos indeed, which go a long way in making the collection look that much better (though it's all quite nice as is).
There's classic Abloh fare here, for one, like intarsia-knit sweaters sporting graffiti-like Louis Vuitton branding, wool varsity jackets, baggy cargo pants, and an oversized Damier pattern that, according to LV, "evokes the veins of Epi leather."
But there's also LV stuff out of time, fur-trimmed puffer jackets, camouflage suits, and zippered driver's sweaters comprising contrasting weave patterns.
The effect, taken at a whole, is overwhelming. Strip away the Louis Vuitton logos, and you have a compellingly-presented (if expansive) selection of especially of-the-moment menswear, distinguished by clean lines and a sport-meets-street attitude.
That's all classic Louis Vuitton, to be fair, a trait typical of the house since Kim Jones' time.
Don't expect Pharrell to minimize LV's output or even shift this direction. Instead, it's fair to expect more of this, but with a Pharrell stamp on it.
That's typical of celebrity fashion designers, really, and it's not a bad thing by any means. Who could complain about an abundance of handsome clothes?
