The ‘Happy’ singer is the new designer of the French luxury brand, succeeding the late Virgil Abloh
Pharrell Williams has a lot to be Happy about: the musician has been appointed as the men’s creative director of Louis Vuitton, the world’s most valuable luxury brand.
Williams, who goes by the mononym Pharrell, will showcase his first collection for the maison this June during Men’s Fashion Week in Paris.
The news was announced on Louis Vuitton’s Instagram. In a post, the brand shared: “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. 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.”
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Pharrell’s appointment officially puts to rest the many rumours of who would replace Virgil Abloh, who was previously Louis Vuitton’s menswear designer. After Abloh died in November 2021, the position was left vacant. Emerging designers like Martine Rose, Grace Wales Bonner and Samuel Ross were all named as possible successors. In the interim, the fashion brand continued to stage its menswear fashion shows, showcasing collections created by its in-house design team. In January, KidSuper’s Colm Dillane was tapped as a guest designer for the maison’s fall/winter 2023 collection.
While Pharrell may be best known for his music career—the Grammy Award-winning producer, songwriter and rapper has worked with several artists including Rihanna and Beyoncé, on top of making his own hits like Get Lucky and Blurred Lines—he is also no stranger to the fashion world.
In the early 2000s, he co-founded the streetwear brand Billionaire Boys Club with influential Japanese designer and Bape founder Nigo—who frequently collaborated with Abloh, and now helms the LVMH-owned fashion brand Kenzo.
