Pharrell Williams named creative director for Louis Vuitton

Famed musician and fashion entrepreneur Pharrell Williams has been named the creative director for Louis Vuitton‘s menswear division, making him the second Black American designer to hold such a position at a French luxury fashion house. Williams, who was friends with the last menswear creative director, the late Virgil Abloh, is taking up the mantle in a move that has surprised many.

The decision to hire Williams seems to confirm that the brand wishes continue what Abloh started, to broaden the appeal of the brand by fusing its luxury origins with a street-style approach. By including inspiration taken from hip-hop and hype culture, Abloh successfully widened the brand’s target demographic to include a younger clientele.

Abloh made history when he became the first Black American to ever hold this position in a French luxury fashion house. He sadly passed away in the November 2021, leaving the role vacant. Williams was an avid supporter of Abloh as well as a friend. The news of his taking up the mantle has ended the ongoing speculation as to who would take on the coveted job, though many are surprised given that he wasn’t considered a front-runner for the position.

Louis Vuitton’s Instagram account posted about Williams’ new role with CEO and Chairman, Pietro Beccari addressing their decidsion and what they hope to achieve moving forward.

Williams is not exactly new to the fashion game either, and is a successful businessman with both a clothing and liquor brand to his name. The artists created the Billionaires Boy Club brand with Japanese designer Nigo in 2003 and it has continued to grow since then. In a statement from Louis Vuitton relayed in The Guardian, the brand described Williams as a

“visionary whose creative universes expand from music to art, and to fashion. 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”.

This isn’t his first time working with a big brand such as this; the artist collaborated with Chanel back in 2019 by designing a collection for them. He also designed a line for the famed jeweler Tiffany & Co in 2021, with that brand being owned by the Louis Vuitton’s parent company, LVMH. This won’t be his first time working with Louis Vuitton directly either, as mentioned in the above post, with Williams having designed a line of sunglasses for them in 2008 that Abloh then re-issued in 2018.

Despite the above, Williams is not technically a designer by trade, so it will be interesting to see what he creates as the creative director for such a prestigious and well-known fashion house.