The Debut of Pharrell Williams: Louis Vuitton Spring-Summer '24 Fashion Show
Four months after Pharrell Williams was named Louis Vuitton’s new men’s creative director—his first collection for Louis Vuitton was finally showcased on the runway.
On the evening of June 20th, models walked down the Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris, draped in Williams’ vision for Louis Vuitton menswear. Looks featured a re-envisioned classic of the brand: the Damier pattern. Williams’ take on the iconic Damier involved a plethora of new colors, most notably a pixelated camouflage which Williams, according to The Washington Post, has deemed “Damoflage”.
Accompanying the militaristic fashion was a collection of matching trunks carried not by models, but by automobiles. Seeing a collection “drive” down the runway for a major fashion house was certainly a surprise for many spectators. It was certainly a creative way to display the quintessential—although occasionally cumbersome—Louis Vuitton trunks.
Pharrell Williams’ first show with Louis Vuitton is certainly monumental for the fashion industry, but not on account of the clothes at all. The buzz created around this Louis Vuitton runway is majorly created by the location, theatrics, and celebrity guests of whom included Beyonce, Jay-Z, Zendaya, and Rihanna.
Upon a first watch of Louis Vuitton’s live stream, some aspects of the show seemed gratuitous or unnecessary, but many have come to appreciate the small details. For example, the covert Damier prints featured in the introductory short film which can be seen on the bottoms of shoes, and the knit of a sweater.
Perhaps the most meaningful part of the non-fashion aspects of this runway is Williams’ attention to the soundtrack, which according to Louis Vuitton, was self-produced. Another first for the fashion industry was the inclusion of a live choir performance as the models made their way across the catwalk. As it was a magnificent musical set, many found the choir to overshadow the looks on the runway. That said, the show was a beautiful ode to Williams’ musical background that had many questioning his qualification in the beginning.
The collection shows Pharrell Williams’ competency in the fashion industry, and predicts more great things to come to fruition under his direction. What was your favorite or least favorite aspect of Pharrell Williams’ LV show? Leave a comment below!