PFW may as well stand for “Pharrell Fashion Week” this season. The newly-minted creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear, who was announced as the late Virgil Abloh’s successor in February, made his debut for the luxury fashion House in Paris on Tuesday, and shut down the city in the process— literally and figuratively. Show-goers, which included anyone who’s anyone— Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Beyonce, Kim Kardashian, LeBron James, Offset, Zendaya, and the list goes on and on— in addition to press, buyers, and industry insiders were ferried up the Seine by boat to Paris’s oldest bridge to witness Pharrell Williams’ hotly-anticipated first collection for the storied Parisian label. Many of the stars in attendance actually dropped everything they were doing just to travel from LA to Paris for this very occasion.
Paris Fashion Week kicked off in spectacular style with Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Spring 2024 ready-to-wear show, which was held outdoors just after dusk. Williams pulled out all of the stops— the entirety of Pont Neuf as a runway, a star-studded guest list, a live choir, a special performance (we’ll get back to that later), and most importantly, beautiful clothes.
Much like his predecessor, the producer and designer doesn’t have any formal fashion training— a point brought up repeatedly by fashion critics and commentators when opining on his appointment at the House. However, just as we have seen from Abloh, a fashion degree from Central Saint Martins doesn’t mean half as much as having a strong vision— and Pharrell’s Spring 2024 menswear offering was further proof. In his show notes, Williams dedicated the show to Abloh, writing, “This moment is dedicated to the giant before me. To our brother in spirit.” It felt just right. By taking over, Williams definitely had some very big shoes to fill, but if last night’s debut collection was any indication, Louis Vuitton is in very good hands.
Although hints of Abloh’s spirit could be felt throughout the collection, Williams offered a fresh and exciting new take on Louis Vuitton, one that was extremely wearable. The collection’s focus was on reimagining the house’s iconic Damier print, which Williams hinted at in his first Louis Vuitton campaign starring Rihanna. The designer also told WWD that, “I knew that I wanted to really lean into the Damier, something that hadn’t had such a great concentration in it, and we did so by using the Damier as a platform and as a new artistic discipline, and we have some really interesting expressions.”
It was Abloh who debuted pixelated-looking Damier prints in 2018, but Williams explored the idea further. In addition to the Minecraft-inspired pieces, there was also plenty of camouflage. All of the Damouflage instantly brought to mind a Jay Z— who delighted guests with a surprise performance after the show— lyric from the song Jockin’ Jay Z (Dopeboy Fresh): “I’m some ghetto chic, I’m where the hood and high fashion meet. Ooh wee, I’m like the camouflage Louis,” a nod to Takashi Murakami and Marc Jacobs’ “monogramouflage” bags in 2002. It’s true, who didn’t want a Camo Louis when this song came out?
All in all, it felt like Williams was sampling (he is a legendary music producer, after all)— a little bit of archive Louis Vuitton, hints of Bape, sprinkles of Nigo, and some Chanel influences here and there (for example, the cross-body with a pearl chain), but it still had an authenticity and uniqueness to it that was so true to Pharrell.
In addition to the Damouflage, the iconic Damier print was also reimagined in distressed three-dimensional patterns and even the cobblestones of the Pont Neuf bridge. Damier also appeared on denim, trench coats, suiting, varsity jackets, shorts, and trunks that were piled high on a golf buggy with the word “Liberty” on its bumper.
But it was the accessories that truly made us “LoVe” the collection. Keepalls, Almas, Neverfulls, and Speedys came in vibrant and colorful hues, there was a Louis Vuitton trunk for shoes, and speaking of footwear— it was delicious. Fuzzy slippers with paw-print soles (spotted on A$AP Rocky), clunky boots, and embellished loafers were all extremely covetable. Meanwhile, the pearl-adorned hair-accessories-slash-sunglasses, brooches, and necklaces were very Pharrell-coded. “IF YOU WANT IT, YOU CAN HAVE IT,” The Virginia choir Voice of Fire sang as each model came out for the final walk. We want it, we want all of it.
