Key Takeaways
- Pharrell’s Spring/Summer 2027 Louis Vuitton men’s show leaned into his Virginia upbringing with a beach theme, relaxed tailoring, multicolored knits, and board-short-inspired pants. Heavier leather and wool pieces clashed with the surf vibe.
- Sun-faded duffels, butter-yellow Alma bags, cartoonish multicolor monograms, bold snakeskin, and the Vans-style Combi sneakers were among the strong showing of accessories, while the immersive beach set at Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris was one of the best we have seen from Pharrell at Louis Vuitton.
- New Pharrell-produced tracks featuring Future, Lil Baby, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Angélique Kidjo, and Quavo soundtracked the show. A star-heavy front row including Missy Elliott, Skepta, Jeremy Allen White, and Victor Wembanyama helped cement the show’s cultural weight.
Pharrell Williams is a new surfer, but for the Virginia native, the beach has always been close to home. For his Spring/Summer 2027 Louis Vuitton men’s collection, he explored shapes, silhouettes, and palettes that feel ingrained in his upbringing.
Here is how we graded Pharrell’s latest Louis Vuitton runway show in Paris.
Clothing: B
The clothes felt more focused and in tune with the shapes and silhouettes Pharrell knows well, whether that's a hoodie, which he constructed in a multicolored knit, or board shorts that he transformed into longer pants with fun prints. The tailoring was relaxed and cool. A standout was a nubby pinstriped suit that could work for a wide swath of customers. While the leather parkas and matching shorts looked supple, and the wool coats felt rich, they felt misaligned with the rest of the collection. It seemed like a missed opportunity to innovate on leather, making it lighter and beach-ready.
Accessories: A
Bags came in sun-drenched hues like a washed-out pink, which appeared on a new duffel shape, and butter yellow, which showed up on an Alma satchel. He also updated the monogram with cartoonish, multicolored details. Snakeskin bags came in bold colors, including purple and bright blue. The sneakers, influenced by the boat shoe silhouette that Vans has popularized, felt classic but also new. We predict they will be a commercial hit.
Music: C
Since joining the house, Pharrell has made it a point to create new music for each show, accompanied by the Voices of Fire. This time around, he played “Haavin” featuring Future, “Dead Fresh” featuring Lil Baby, the strongest song, “Simulation” featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and “Bando” by Angélique Kidjo featuring Quavo. Pharrell has composed amazing film scores and produced music that changed the way our ears hear things. The show music doesn’t always meet the bar he’s set for himself and others.
Set Design: A
Taking place at the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, guests got a reprieve from the heatwave at the show venue, where they were greeted by a constructed wall of water and a small beach. This venue was smaller than his previous ones, but it was impactful and transportive.
Attendees: A
It was a stacked guest list that included Lil Baby, Quavo, Future, Missy Elliott, Skepta, Jeremy Allen White, Lionel Boyce, Wemby (aka Victor Wembanyama), and more.
