By now you probably have heard that Pharrell Williams, award-winning music and cultural empresario who happens to be a part-time Miamian, is adding another title to his ever expanding multi-hyphenate moniker. Williams was chosen to succeed Virgil Abloh as the head of men’s collections at Louis Vuitton. This announcement comes after a year-long talent hunt during which the Maison tapped its own studio team and collaborators like Colm Dillane of KidSuper to fill in the creative void left by Abloh’s unexpected passing.
Williams comes to the position not only as a pop star who established himself as a global icon over the past twenty years; his long-standing relationship with Louis Vuitton has yielded impressive collaborations. The 49-year-old worked with the luxury brand’s designer Marc Jacobs to design eyewear for the label in 2004 and again in 2008. “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,” Louis Vuitton chairman and chief executive Pietro Beccari said in a statement. “His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and very exciting chapter,” Mr. Beccari added. Williams’ fashion footprint extends far beyond Louis Vuitton. In the past he collaborated with other top fashion brands including Moncler and Adidas. He also joined forces with Chanel in 2017. Rounding out his impressive fashion portfolio are Williams’ own brands including Billionaire Boys Club and Icecream.
With an expansive philanthropic footprint that extends to organizations he created such as YELLOW, a non-profit working to even the odds for all youth through education and Black Ambition, a non-profit initiative that provides a bridge to success for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs who are launching tech, healthcare, Web 3.0 and consumer products/services start-ups, the fans await reveal of the new Louis Vuitton direction both sartorially and altruistically. Like his predecessor, aka the jack-of-all-trades who skillfully married luxury and streetwear, Williams is poised to change the charge of the house he now leads. The new men’s director took his post immediately after the announcement as he readies for the first collection to be revealed next June in Paris during Men’s Fashion Week.
