Pharrell Williams named next Louis Vuitton menswear creative director

Pharrell Williams will be the new creative director of menswear at Louis Vuitton.

“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 20 years,” the luxury house said in a statement.

Williams, 49, will replace the late Virgil Abloh, who held the position until his death in November 2021.

The 13-time Grammy winner and two-time Oscar nominee’s first collection will be shown later this year during men’s fashion week in Paris in June, according to a statement released by the company.

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“His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and very exciting chapter,” Pietro Beccari, Louis Vuitton’s chairman and CEO, said.

Abloh was a groundbreaking designer and tastemaker known for merging streetwear and high fashion. Abloh’s ubiquitous, consumer-friendly presence in culture was wide-ranging and dynamic. Some compared him to Jeff Koons. 

Others hailed him as his generation’s Lagerfeld, Chanel’s longtime creative director who died in 2019. Abloh was the first Black director of menswear at Louis Vuitton, one of France’s most storied fashion houses.

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Williams and Louis Vuitton had been discussing the music producer joining the company.

Williams collaborated with the luxury group LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) in 2004 and 2008. He had a massively popular sneaker collaboration with Chanel in 2017 and a unisex clothing collection in 2019 that he designed with Lagerfeld. 

He also has his own fashion brands, including the streetwear label Billionaire Boys Club and shoe brand Icecream, which he founded with Nigo.

In a 2005 video, Williams and Nigo are seen standing next to the sneakers Williams designed, saying, “Can’t believe it man, like it’s really happening.”

His biggest mark in the fashion industry is his own personal style.

“It embarrasses me a bit to be a figure in fashion,” he told WSJ in 2014. “I think everyone is interested in what they put on, even if you dress conservatively.”

In 2015, Williams won the Fashion Icon Award given by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. 

“No one has better style than the everyday American people,” he said during a brief speech. “Why? Because they’re the real thing, and they live it every day. I could never be as cool as them, but I’m happy to take notes.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report