Pharrell Williams is taking over the late Virgil Abloh's role as Louis Vuitton's menswear creative director. The news was first reported to be confirmed on February 14 by longstanding French newspaper Le Figaro.
Pharrell is Louis Vuitton's first permanent head of menswear since Abloh passed in late 2021, though Pharrell's creative director title is distinct from Abloh's position at Louis Vuitton, which was "artistic director."
As of February 14, Pharrell had wiped his Instagram page ahead of the big announcement.
“I am glad to welcome Pharrell back home, after our collaborations in 2004 and 2008 for Louis Vuitton, as our new Men’s Creative Director,” Pietro Beccari, Louis Vuitton’s Chairman and CEO said in a statement.
“His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and very exciting chapter.”
Abloh's Louis Vuitton successor has been the subject of much discussion in fashion circles since his passing.
Pharrell, a longtime supporter and friend to Abloh, isn't necessarily an obvious choice but he's not such a far-fetched selection either.
His predecessor, Abloh, who died in November 2021, had headed Louis Vuitton menswear for four years and was the label’s first African American artistic director. Abloh was also the founder of the fashion brand Off-White, which was purchased by Louis Vuitton parent company LVMH in 2021.
Among his many ventures, Williams launched Black Ambition in 2020, a nonprofit initiative that supports Black and Latinx entrepreneurs with technology, healthcare, Web 3.0, media, entertainment and consumer products/services start-ups. He also launched the music festival Something in the Water in his hometown of Virginia Beach with a new installment scheduled for April.
Williams first rose to prominence as part of the group the Neptunes in the 1990s, before becoming a hitmaker known for smash singles such as “Happy” and a producer for artists ranging from Beyoncé to Justin Timberlake. He has since won 13 Grammy awards and been nominated for the Oscars twice, while also branching out into design and entrepreneurship.
Louis Vuitton became the world’s first $10bn luxury brand in 2018. The group has survived the pandemic with aplomb, despite the hit to the key Chinese market due to President Xi Jinping’s zero-Covid policy and the spike in cases at the end of last year. The company reported record profits for 2022 at the end of January.
The appointment of Williams is a coup for LVMH, which has been increasingly working with cultural influencers and artists, such as the label’s extensive collaboration with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. It will also allow the brand to tap the links to the American music industry and streetwear that Abloh had capitalised on. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Williams has been close to the newly appointed Louis Vuitton chief executive for some time, attending pivotal shows at Dior and collaborating with Beccari on a jewellery collection in the 2010s.
The musician said last year he was also working on a collection with Tiffany & Co, another LVMH-owned brand, following similar partnerships with Adidas and LVMH rival Chanel.
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