Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton: A Millionaire Legacy

In late 2021, the premature death of iconic designer Virgil Abloh left an open spot in the Louis Vuitton design team and many wondering what comes next. The position, having remained vacant for two years, has been filled by none other than Pharrell Williams. Officially announced on February 14th, the appointment of Williams as the new men’s creative director has taken some by surprise but his noteworthy history with Louis Vuitton and Abloh himself indicates a promising future in this role.

Pharrell Williams first collaborated with Louis Vuitton—as well as fellow musician and entrepreneur Nigo—nearly 20 years ago in 2004 on the creation of his “Millionaire sunglasses.”

The Millionaire frames quickly became a cultural necessity for many celebrities including Rihanna and Kanye West. Not immune to the ever-changing fashion trend cycle, the original Millionaire frames eventually went out of fashion and out of production.

Enter Virgil Abloh—early in his career as creative director for Louis Vuitton, Abloh resurrected the epochal “Millionaire sunglasses” with his reimagined “1.1 Millionaire” frames in homage to Pharrell and Nigo. Virgil Abloh’s “1.1 Millionaire glasses” are still available for purchase today at a somewhat more reasonable price than the incredibly rare original “Millionaire glasses” that still haunt various resale websites.

This millionaire cycle returns us to the present and refocuses Pharrell Williams’ new position as more of a fateful homecoming to Louis Vuitton rather than a shocking or unprecedented development. Williams is set to present his first collection as Creative Director in June 2024 at Men’s Fashion Week in Paris and the entire fashion world looks on in anticipation.