Louis Vuitton menswear’s creative director tells us why it’s exciting to bring the men’s pre-fall 2024 show to Hong Kong, and the inspiration behind the collection
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the Louis Vuitton men’s pre-fall 2024 show was one of the most-anticipated fashion events of the year for Hong Kong. It has been a long while since a major luxury house has held a show in the city, so it was a special honour for the city to host creative director Pharrell Williams’s sophomore collection, after the multi-hyphenate star took the helms of the maison’s menswear line on February 14, 2023.
At his debut show in June, Louis Vuitton closed down the Pont Neuf in Paris, with mega-celebrities such as Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky gracing the event. For his next collection, Pharrell choosing Hong Kong as the venue is fitting for several reasons—not only does Louis Vuitton have a long relationship with the city (the first LV store opened in Tsim Sha Tsui in 1979), but Pharrell himself has a special connection to Hong Kong, having travelled here during Art Basel in March this year to launch a high jewellery collection in collaboration with his auction platform Joopiter.
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The venue for the showcase was Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui—which some see as Hong Kong’s answer to Hollywood’s Walk Of Fame. On the night, Louis Vuitton took over the waterfront promenade and converted it into a Hawaiian beach. Around 1,200 guests, including Hong Kong film legend Chow Yun-fat, Canto-pop legend Aaron Kwok, Mirror member Anson Lo and other eminently recognisable faces of the region, were invited to experience the immersive fashion show.
The iconic Victoria Harbour skyline became part of the show too. An impressive drone show showcasing Hong Kong symbols, Louis Vuitton’s motifs, as well as phrases like “LV Lovers” etched across the sky closed the show on a high. “Let me tell you: the Hong Kong government could not have been nicer to us. This has been a seamless experience for us,” said Pharrell, prior to the show. “They wanted us here and they’ve been incredibly supportive in every way.”
We sat down with Pharrell to discuss his love for Hong Kong and how Virgil Abloh, the late creative director of the house, has inspired him.