Paris
CNN
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Pharrell Williams’ debut as Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director was nothing short of stunning, heralding a new era for the storied French fashion house.
The American musician, whose appointment was announced in February, closed Paris’s Pont Neuf on Tuesday, where the show took place at sunset with a full orchestra, gospel choir and more than 70 modeled appearances by some familiar faces including designer Stefano Pilati, Pusha T and No Malice of the hip-hop duo Clipse.
The famous faces didn’t stop there — Williams’ celebrity friends even cheered him on from the front row. Among them were Rihanna, the brand’s latest campaign model and A$AP Rocky who snuck in late, Jay-Z who performed at the after party, and Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Jared Leto, and Lenny Kravitz who came up with Naomi Campbell and Zendaya Brand Ambassador with former stylist Lou Roach by her side.
When Williams was named to succeed the late Virgil Abloh, some controversy erupted over the validity of his appointment and the unconventional path.
But even though he’s not a formally trained fashion designer, the 13-time Grammy Award winner has been shaping culture—from music and fashion, for more than two decades. This isn’t Williams’ first design shot: In 2003, he collaborated with Marc Jacobs (then at the helm of Louis Vuitton) and Japanese designer Nigo on sunglasses that became one of the brand’s best sellers. Other collaborations followed: Moncler, Moynat, and long-term partnerships with Adidas and Chanel, including a capsule collection he designed with the late Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld.
Like Abloh before him, he has an uncanny knack for staying ahead of the cultural curve, redefining the zeitgeist and understanding how to market an idea to the masses. As Creative Director, his vision for Louis Vuitton will go beyond creating collections but also producing runway shows, campaigns and other content to keep the fashion house fresh and buzzing.
Guests met up near the Musée D’Orsay, “in front of Rihanna,” the PR team told us—referring to the brand’s massive billboard starring the pregnant Barbadian singer—and took a boat down the Seine to the city’s oldest bridge, at the foot of which the shop is located. Samaritaine owned by LVMH. Transformed into Vuitton’s runway, Pont Neuf featured a continuous stripe of Damier’s iconic design that would be heavily woven throughout the collection.
The checkerboard design, which dates back to 1889, was reimagined through the lens of Williams. A split iteration, dubbed the “Damoflage,” appeared on floor-length coats, matching suits, a knit collarless jacket, structured bags and pants, and oversized Speedy bags and backpacks. A more exaggerated take on Damier’s original pattern has also been showcased on quilted denim jackets, stretchy calf-grazing coats, leather motorcycle jackets with wide leg pants, leather shirts and rugby shirts in bright yellow, navy blue and burgundy colors. Also seen on a series of accessories including beanies, bags and baseball caps.
New motifs are introduced this season, including embroidered designs by American artist Henry Taylor used on tailoring, jeans and accessories, and a logo that combines the classic “LV” with the word “lovers”. The show notes read “LVERS is a state of mind: warm, gracious and welcoming”.
Channeling his own tropes of clothing, Williams sent a high-rise Varsity jacket with a shimmering Pont Neuf print with crystal detailing and a navy one with the LVER logo spread across the chest. Tailored shorts were also seen paired with matching jackets, frilly white tube socks, and black loafers reminiscent of the beauty Williams wore on the red carpets.
Accessories got equal billing for apparel. Models showed up carrying many of the brand’s most iconic bags—the Speedy, worn by celebrities from Audrey Hepburn to Snoop Dogg—worn across the chest, slung from their arms or tucked under. It heralds the transformation of the iconic piece.
“Speedy was always a duffel bag for men until they made a smaller version for Audrey Hepburn in 1965,” Farrell said in a press release shared after the show. “I wanted to take something that felt unisex and make a cool bag for humans. It’s an everyday icon designed for all walks of life.”
The new version features vibrant new colors including cherry red, bright yellow, and rich green, a nod to the imitations sold on New York City’s Canal Street. “A new interpretation of the Louis Vuitton Speedy bag evokes the attitude and bustling mindset of Canal Street in an everyday icon designed for every walk of life,” the show notes read.
The new bags are made of calfskin leather rather than the traditional canvas, and come in a variety of sizes, including larger, softer versions. Large bags (looking like my Alma and Kebal silhouettes) hung close to the floor, small structured bags with chain and pearl detailing and camera bags with nylon straps were worn alongside faux fur hats, rolled blankets tucked under the arm or draped over the shoulders.
There was plenty of headwear aplenty from big hats embellished with crystals and pearls to emulate the Damier style to structured leather logo caps and slouch newsboy hats. Sunglasses—Williams’ signature—were also a staple and came in a range of sizes and shapes from squared-offs and small round frames reminiscent of camera lenses to wraparound style and oval lenses adorned with pearls.
The performance closed with the Voices of Fire gospel choir chanting, “Joy! Fun! Fun!” with a performance that not only delighted them, but won them a standing ovation. Williams has authored two new modeling pieces including “Joy (indescribable)” sung by the Virginia Choir launched five days ago, as well as “Peace Be Still” featuring Chinese pianist Lang Lang.
In his show notes, Williams paid tribute to “the giant before me” – the late head coach Virgil Abloh.
“Virgil has always been a brother in spirit. Now, that’s literally what we work with here,” he added in a press release. “He’s left a lot of whacking at home. As far as I’m concerned, I get along with his spirit. He honors me. When he got that appointment, I was really happy for him… It was crazy the nature of the relationships, the respect he had for us, which We still have it for him. I can tell you having Virgil and I here we have to say to kids who look like us, ‘Oh, I can do anything.'” I can be anything. ”
Williams ended the show in exhilarating style, running down the runway to take a bow in head-to-toe Damoflage, and bringing out the entire Louis Vuitton design team to enjoy the moment with him.