Pharrell, Louis Vuitton’s new menswear director, won’t reveal his vision for the luxury maison until Summer 2023 but perhaps we’re getting a first look at what Skateboard P’s got in mind for LV by way of, well, what Pharrell himself is wearing.
I’m talking specifically ’bout the outfit Pharrell wore while attending the late April reopening of Tiffany & Co.’s Landmark flagship in New York, which included tiny sunglasses, a Human Made cap, leather pants, a pair of hyperchunky sneakers, fancy knit cardigan and, most notably, a leather rider’s jacket made of Louis Vuitton’s signature monogrammed canvas.
Now, it’s worth noting that nothing Pharrell’s wearing is necessarily new; his LV Trainer Maxi shoes are an expansion (literally) of a Virgil Abloh design and the jacket appears to be a bespoke piece along the lines of a Louis Vuitton womenswear design from some years back, rather than an in-line design.
You can still perceive apparent themes from Pharrell’s look, though, themes that likely will carry over to his tenure overseeing Louis Vuitton menswear.
I’d expect Pharrell to keep up with the stylistic codes that Virgil Abloh established at Louis Vuitton, for instance, like Abloh’s inclination toward exuberant color and heritage Americana — varsity jackets, double-breasted blazers, heavyweight hoodies — reshaped through playful skewing (read: big, flared proportions).
The key distinction, if there even is one, may not be initially perceptible while Pharrell finds his footing at Louis Vuitton but even from the jump, I’m definitely keeping an eye out (no pun intended) for Pharrell’s new LV eyewear.
This dude has been rocking his tiny Tiffany shades as a teaser of the Pharrell x Tiffany collab for over a year now — when’s the drop, BTW? — so I predict Pharrell will be similarly shrinking LV’s sunglasses with the quickness.
We’ve also seen Pharrell wearing this seemingly custom Louis Vuitton jacket quite a bit recently, so I get the sense that he really digs it.
Thus, you can extrapolate that the ensuing vibe at LV menswear will a blend of Pharrell’s influences, once again bringing together NIGO influences with Louis Vuitton heritage (a combo that already exists in a different form). A little country, a little rock n’ roll.
Pharrell offered another peek at his forthcoming Louis Vuitton vision during the final weekend of April.
At Something in the Water, the annual festival he oversees in his native Virgina, Pharrell unveiled a massive Louis Vuitton pyramid and even some LV merch that has such mass appeal that it almost looks like a bootleg.
All this is to say, if you want a taste of Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton, look at the big picture design cues that Pharrell literally wearing on his sleeve.
Good or bad, Pharrell’s LV will probably be pretty approachable and more than a little fun.
