Staff Writer
When Pharrell Williams debuted his Louis Vuitton collection, Paris transformed into a playground for him and his celebrity pals, blurring the line between music, fashion, and lucrative PR.
Williams is the first artist to be given the responsibility of creating clothing for a significant luxury business with a mind-blowing $22 billion in revenue last year.
Although the executives at Louis Vuitton were obviously interested in the guest list he could put together, he has prior experience working with designer businesses. And on Tuesday night, when Beyonce, Rihanna, LeBron James, Lewis Hamilton, and many others were seated in the front row, he did not let them down.
Before it began, Pietro Beccari, the head of Louis Vuitton, told AFP, “We try to speak to different clients.”
People who have never heard of Vuitton may decide to visit one of those boutiques after hearing about it in the media tomorrow.
Big extravaganza events are nothing new; starting in the 1990s and beyond, businesses have spent millions on extravagant stage designs and celebrity visitors.
But Williams took it a step further, writing a brand-new uptempo song called “JOY (Unspeakable)” that was played by a full gospel choir, and capping the night off with a Jay-Z concert at which he also performed, all in the very Instagrammable surroundings of the Pont Neuf across the River Seine.
It’s a really significant time. Big moments in fashion are difficult to forecast, but when a cultural force like Pharrell and a cultural brand like Louis Vuitton get together, you can be sure that something interesting is about to happen, according to Imran Amed, founder of the Business of Fashion news website, who spoke to AFP.
A fresh wind
It’s challenging to learn what people’s true opinions about the outfits were.
Fashion websites, which rely primarily on brand promotion, no longer frequently discuss design decisions. Williams, however, primarily stuck to the tried-and-true Damier check design from LV, albeit with some daring new primary colors.
Williams has dubbed this aesthetic “damoflage” since it had a lot of pixelated appearances and some camouflage undertones.
“By revisiting the leather goods and accessories that have made LV so successful, Pharrell Williams demonstrates that he understands the challenge and the codes of this iconic house,” Pierre Alexandre M’Pele, editor of GQ France, told AFP.
Some things seemed new. In the big labels, which have distinct artistic directors for menswear and womenswear, gender mixing is still uncommon despite the fact that it has becoming more popular in fashion.
“Pharrell Williams is blowing a new wind at Louis Vuitton where up until then, male and female models were separated,” stated M’Pele. Pharrell Williams paraded women for his first collection.
There have been some whispers among fashionistas that the top position should have gone to a more committed designer. However, Beccari was adamant that the company required a “traditional couturier” to support womenswear designer Nicolas Ghesquière and provide “someone who had something extra.”
“It’s a perfect mix for a brand that is present in 72 countries with 450 stores and which not only sells products, but tells great stories,” he declared.
Pharrell didn’t study music or fashion, but with 13 Grammy awards and an Oscar nomination, “everything he touches turns to gold,” according to Beccari.
Williams has moved his family to Paris and established a music studio at the offices of Louis Vuitton, indicating that he is taking the position seriously.
Beccari stated that the majority of the musician’s subsequent record was written in front of his window facing La Samaritaine in Paris.
