Back in February, Pharrell was announced as Louis Vuitton’s new men’s creative director, filling the role that has been left vacant for the past two years following the passing of Virgil Abloh.
“Pharrell Williams 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,” read the brand’s official announcement. “The way in which he breaks boundaries across the various worlds he explores, aligns with Louis Vuitton’s status as a Cultural Maison, reinforcing its values of innovation, pioneer spirit, and entrepreneurship.”
Pharrell’s debut collection for Louis Vuitton is set to take place on June 20 during Paris Fashion Week Men’s.
Many people expected Louis Vuitton to usher in its new era of menswear with a rising designer like Martine Rose or Grace Wales Bonner. LVMH going in the direction of a more established celebrity with no formal design training came as a surprise to some. But that isn’t to say that Pharrell doesn’t have a resume in fashion worthy of the position. He knows what it takes to present a distinct vision for a brand. He did it with his own Billionaire Boys Club. He also knows how to create memorable pieces for established luxury houses. Just look at what he created for LV back in the 2000s or what he was able to do with his historic Chanel collaboration in 2019. And aside from official projects, he’s been curating cool for decades.
With Pharrell's debut runway show with Louis Vuitton just days away, let’s take a look at some of the moments that led up to this point. Take a look at Pharrell’s history within fashion below.
Back in February, Pharrell was announced as Louis Vuitton’s new men’s creative director, filling the role that has been left vacant for the past two years following the passing of Virgil Abloh.
“Pharrell Williams 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,” read the brand’s official announcement. “The way in which he breaks boundaries across the various worlds he explores, aligns with Louis Vuitton’s status as a Cultural Maison, reinforcing its values of innovation, pioneer spirit, and entrepreneurship.”
Pharrell’s debut collection for Louis Vuitton is set to take place on June 20 during Paris Fashion Week Men’s.
Many people expected Louis Vuitton to usher in its new era of menswear with a rising designer like Martine Rose or Grace Wales Bonner. LVMH going in the direction of a more established celebrity with no formal design training came as a surprise to some. But that isn’t to say that Pharrell doesn’t have a resume in fashion worthy of the position. He knows what it takes to present a distinct vision for a brand. He did it with his own Billionaire Boys Club. He also knows how to create memorable pieces for established luxury houses. Just look at what he created for LV back in the 2000s or what he was able to do with his historic Chanel collaboration in 2019. And aside from official projects, he’s been curating cool for decades.
With Pharrell's debut runway show with Louis Vuitton just days away, let’s take a look at some of the moments that led up to this point. Take a look at Pharrell’s history within fashion below.
BBC ICECREAM
Year(s): 2003-Present
Pharrell’s most notable foray in fashion is his own streetwear label, Billionaire Boys Club, which he founded alongside longtime friend and business partner NIGO in 2003. BBC and its space-themed design language quickly became one of the most in-demand streetwear brands of the time. The following year, it also spawned the sub-label ICECREAM, complete with its own skate team and line of Reebok sneakers covered in memorable prints like beepers and giant diamonds.
BBC ICECREAM would open brick-and-mortar outposts in London, Tokyo, and New York City that crafted unique retail experiences inspired by outer space and ice cream parlor themes to display products. It still operates shops in these major cities to this day. The success of BBC ICECREAM eventually led to private management company Iconix and Jay-Z teaming up to take over majority ownership in 2011. Pharrell retook a majority stake in the brand in 2017. More recently, we have seen the brand attempt to re-establish its reputation in the marketplace through collaborations with iconic brands such as the New York Yankees and popular young designers like Vandy the Pink, as well as the opening of a Miami flagship location.
Louis Vuitton (2000s)
Year(s): 2004, 2007, and 2008
Pharrell’s relationship with LV started way before yesterday. In fact, his first official work with the historic fashion house came almost 20 years ago. Then-men’s creative director Marc Jacobs tapped Pharrell and NIGO to design a line of sunglasses, which most notably included the original Millionaire sunglasses that Virgil Abloh resurfaced for his debut Louis Vuitton collection in 2018. Pharrell once described the Millionaire as “”one part Tony Montana, one part Notorious B.I.G.” The aviator-inspired style featured distinct details like monogram-covered gold trim above the frames that extended onto the hinges. The stylish shades were offered in a variety of colors and became so popular, with celebrities like Jay-Z and streetwear enthusiasts alike, that they were brought back in 2007 in more colors.
Fresh off the success of his sunglasses collection with NIGO, Pharrell linked back up with LV in 2008 for Blason, a collection of jewelry crafted in collaboration with Camille Miceli. The line included pieces like cherub-shaped yellow gold rings, crest-shaped belt buckles covered in colorful diamonds and sapphires, and bracelets with crown-shaped links covered in multicolored stones.
Bape
Year(s): 2006
Of course Pharrell has his own Bape collaboration. When tracing Bape’s popularity outside of Japan, many point towards Pharrell as being one of the label’s largest ambassadors in America throughout the aughts. But he hasn’t worked with the iconic Japanese streetwear brand as often as you may have thought. Skateboard P linked up with his good pal NIGO in December 2006 to create three colorways of Bape’s Road Sta sneakers. Each donned its own colorful mix of metallic leather and was completed with a Baby Milo-ified Pharrell head stitched on each heel. Pharrell’s second and final official Bape project came in 2013. He designed a T-shirt to celebrate the brand’s 20th anniversary just a few months before NIGO officially announced that he had cut ties with the brand.
Moncler
Year(s): 2010-Present
One of Pharrell’s most consistent luxury collaborators has been Moncler. The two first linked up in 2010 to release a down jacket and reversible vest covered in a print by Japanese artist Keita Sugiura constructed of recyclable Bionic yarn. In 2013, they released a trio of eyewear styles and new colorways of the pieces featured in his debut project. Last year, he was one of seven designers tapped by the Italian label to create his interpretation of the brand’s signature Maya puffer jacket, dubbed the Maya 70, to help celebrate its 70th anniversary. It featured a rubberized black body covered with tonal Moncler logos and retailed for $10,645. Both parties will also be debuting their latest project on Feb. 20 in London.
“It was just an amazing vibe, a brand just being so open to collaborations at a time when those types of collaborations were few and far between,” Pharrell told Complex back in 2022 when reflecting on his first collaboration with Moncler. “Now, it happens every day, but they really jumped out there and it was an eye opener to the industry. For things to come full circle and for them to want me to come and do something else was just an honor.”
Adidas
Year(s): 2014-present
Pharrell’s most fruitful collaborative partner to date has been Adidas. The two parties officially linked up in 2014. Since then, they have produced countless original silhouettes like the NMD Hu, NMD S1 Ryat boot, and most recently the NMD S1 MAUBS. Along with an extensive list of footwear, Pharrell’s work with the brand has also extended into apparel. Besides matching apparel to coincide with specific sneaker drops, the Three Stripes has also distributed Pharrell’s Humanrace line of essentials like sweatpants, hoodies, and T-shirts since Sept. 2021. As for the sneakers, the NMD Hu has been the most memorable by far, despite drastically waning in popularity since its peak in 2016-17. Collaborators have included Pharrell’s own BBC ICECREAM, NIGO’s Human Made, N.E.R.D., and even Chanel for an ultra-limited variation in 2017.
G-Star
Year(s): 2014-present
In 2014, Pharrell kicked off his collaborative partnership with the well-known denim brand with a project centered on sustainable denim made of thread composed of recycled bottles. He became the brand’s “head of imagination” and was announced as co-owner in February 2016. In November 2016, he debuted a collection of 25 pairs of Elwood jeans to celebrate the style’s 20th anniversary at ComplexCon that included unique interpretations covered in loud patterns like tartan plaid and camouflage. The lineup received a global launch in February 2017.
“G-Star is an independently minded and forward thinking company,” said Pharrell upon being announced as co-owner in 2016. “I believe they will be the definitive jeans brand of the 21st century. I am looking forward to being part of that mission and to co-create G-Star’s future.”
It is unclear if he still holds this position.
Richard Mille
Year(s): 2019
Out of reach for pretty much anyone reading this, Pharell’s most expensive collaboration came in 2019. He designed a limited edition Richard Mille timepiece. The RM 52-05 Tourbillon Pharrell Williams Sapphire was limited to just 30 total pieces and retailed for $969,000. It included details like a striking orange rubber band and imagery of an astronaut in space standing on Mars and staring at Earth on the face. The image is composed of grade 5 titanium, white diamonds, black sapphires, 5N gold, grand-feu-enameling, blue aventurine glass, and hexagonal copper crystals. Out of this world, indeed.
Chanel
Year(s): 2019
Another elusive collaboration from Pharrell was his work with Chanel in 2019. The musician-turned-designer was the first guest designer in the history of the iconic brand. Released exclusively in Seoul in March before a limited release across select Chanel boutiques the following month, the rainbow-colored capsule referenced street art with reinterpretations of CC and N°5 logos stylized to resemble graffiti on T-shirts. Hoodies featured bedazzled branding and circular-framed sunglasses donned “Chanel Pharrell” branding. Bucket hats were constructed of terry towel. Loafers were given multicolored paneling, while white leather sneakers were covered in more graffiti brading.
Tiffany and Co.
Year(s): TBD
While Pharrell’s collaboration with Tiffany and Co. has yet to officially hit retailers, we have seen Pharrell wearing the hero piece from the project since January 2022. He debuted them attending NIGO’s debut show for Kenzo during Paris Fashion Week. “Tiffany and I are engaged,” he told WWD at the event, hinting at other future collaborations.
Upon their reveal, some were quick to call out their resemblance to a pair of antique Mughal glasses from the 17th century. The unconventional sunglasses feature tear drop-shaped lenses bordered by 61 round brilliant diamonds, emeralds, and gold wire frames. Between these and the aforementioned Millionaires, it’s clear that Pharrell knows how to make a good pair of shades.
Louis Vuitton
Year(s): 2023-???
All of these memorable collaborations bring us to the present day. Pharrell now gets to bring his years of curation and knowledge to Louis Vuitton Men’s. We're still awaiting his first collection, set to be unveiled in just days, but we have gotten a glimpse at Pharrell's vision over the past few months. A staple in his wardrobe has been a a brown Perfecto jacket covered in LV monogram with a studded graphic on the back that spells out "Pupil King." During his headlining set at Something in the Water back in April he debuted a white and lime green racing jacket covered in crystallized logos. While it was confirmed to Complex that neither design will be part of the debut collection, it does give us an idea of the direction that Pharrell is going to take the historic fashion house during his tenure.
While not designed by Pharrell, a capsule of Virginia-inspired merch by Louis Vuitton was also released at Something in the Water, a testament to Pharrell's ability to bring LV activations to places the French fashion house traditionally would not be. Louis Vuitton also erected a 30-feet high sand pyramid made up of 366 reimaginations of Malle-Haute trunks on the beach for the weekend.
More recently, we saw Pharrell reveal his first campaign for Louis Vuitton starring Rihanna on Instagram. She donned a leather jacket covered in a pixelated print and had monogram bags in various colors and styles slung over her arms. If you took a closer look at the comments section of the post you may have noticed an account simply titled "skateboard." At the time of writing this, Pharrell is the page's only follower and it has no posts, just a bio that reads "a team based in paris." A Louis Vuitton skate team perhaps? Hopefully, we will know soon.
Despite his years of occupying best-dressed lists and influencing hip-hop style as we know it today, we have never seen Pharrell in a formal creative director role such as this one. Son of LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault, Alexander Arnault, had this to say on Instagram at the time of Pharrell’s appointment.
“I can’t imagine anyone better to follow Virgil Abloh’s footsteps and can’t wait to see you write the future history of Louis Vuitton. I’m so excited to witness this next chapter, and nothing makes me happier than to welcome you Home to Louis Vuitton.”