Update: Pharrell Williams is the new Men’s Creative Director for Louis Vuitton. The house announced the news on Feb. 14, writing that Pharrell “is a visionary whose creative universes expand from music to art, and to fashion— establishing himself as a cultural global icon over the past twenty years.”
His first collection for the luxury label will be unveiled next June during Men’s Fashion Week in Paris.
“I am glad to welcome Pharrell back home, after our collaborations in 2004 and 2008 for Louis Vuitton, as our new Men’s Creative Director,” said Pietro Beccari, Louis Vuitton’s chairman and CEO. “His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and very exciting chapter.”
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Original: In today’s news that we never saw coming: Pharrell Williams is reportedly in talks to become Louis Vuitton’s next artistic designer of the house’s menswear collections. According to the Wall Street Journal, the producer could potentially take on the role once held by the late Virgil Abloh, who passed away in November 2021 following a private battle with cardiac angiosarcoma.
Although Pharrell isn’t the first person to come to mind when thinking about who could succeed Abloh— since the late designer’s death, speculation has swirled about who the luxury Parisian fashion house would name to succeed him, with names like Martine Rose and Grace Wales Bonner constantly popping up— his potential appointment as Louis Vuitton’s next menswear designer actually makes sense.
Despite not having any formal fashion training, the Happy hitmaker has been dabbling in the world of fashion since the early 2000s. He founded the pioneering streetwear label Billionaire Boys Club (alongside Nigo, who was recently tapped as the creative director of Kenzo, another brand under the LVMH umbrella), as well as the shoe brand Ice Cream. He’s also collaborated with Marc Jacobs, who was the-then creative director of Louis Vuitton, Diesel, Chanel, Moncler, and co-designed a line of clothes and shoes for Adidas for nearly a decade.
Pharrell was also close to Abloh, and when he died, he tweeted: “My heart is broken Virgil you were a kind, generous, thoughtful creative genius.”
