Opinion Editorial: Pharrell Williams Named Creative Director of Louis Vuitton Menswear
By now, we’ve all heard the news. Pharrell Williams is the new Creative Director for Louis Vuitton Menswear taking up the seat previously held by the late Virgil Abloh.
I have to admit that I didn’t want to publicly discuss this until I resolved my mixed emotions about it. But when a friend tagged me on the news in an article from The Wall Street Journal with the caption, “Big leap," I realized penning my words might help me come to a conclusion.
Is it a big leap? Yes and no.
As someone who continuously pushes the need to revere coveted spaces, I was immediately blown away that yet again skilled creatives have been passed over for another creative celebrity. While I never thought Telfar would leave his wildly successful brand for the position, it seemed like a natural next step for fashion designers Martine Rose or Grace Wales Bonner.
Looking back at Pharrell’s history in fashion, though, there’s a solid track record of success.
He is the marketing brains behind the popular 2000s clothing brand Billionaire Boys Club (BBC) and Ice Cream shoes. Although Biggie Smalls was officially the first rapper to wear BAPE, Pharrell drove the brand’s popularity and the demand for its products in the U.S.
In 2005, Pharrell entered and responsibly ended the partnership between BBC and Reebok when the quality of the merchandise didn’t meet his standards.
That same year, Pharrell partnered with then Louis Vuitton creative director Marc Jacobs to design a limited edition pair of sunglasses called the Millionaire. The sunglasses were a cultural phenomenon. And just a few years later, during his tenure as Louis Vuitton creative director, Virgil Abloh designed an updated version of the shades called the 1.1 Millionaires.
When Pharrell wanted to focus solely on the creative at BBC, he was smart enough to partner with Jay Z and Iconix to implement a business strategy to lower manufacturing costs and drive sales. Sales of BBC doubled after just one year of that partnership.
In 2012, he redesigned his skateboard aethstehtic with layers, switch up proportions and even partnered with Montcler to debut the Maya 70 jacket.
Soon after, Karl Lagerfeld appointed Pharrell brand ambassador for Chanel. He was the first male to appear in a Chanel handbag campaign. He spearheaded the Adidas Chanel Pharrell NMD sneaker, and he launched a capsule collection with the luxury brand in 2019.
In 2014, Pharrell released 10 pair of fun colorful Stan Smiths. And the Pharrell x Adidas Human Race NMD is popular among fans.
He was awarded the Fashion Icon award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, which is s stamp of approval from the fashion community.
It will be interesting to see what becomes of his relationship with Chanel now that he’s affiliated with competing brand Louis Vuitton. He’s certainly not a clothing designer, but his experience with designing accessories could be helpful. He certainly knows style. His track record proves that he demands quality, understands supply chain/distribution, is smart enough to have great business-minded folks around him and is a charitable giver.
I’m still not sure where I stand on this, but we’ll all see at his first show in Paris.
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