Pharrell Williams was named new artistic director of Vuitton men, Tuesday, February 14, to everyone’s surprise. Her first collection will be unveiled during the next Fashion Week in Paris in June. He succeeds Virgil Abloh, who died suddenly in November 2021.
While it’s not unusual for musicians to take an interest in the world of fashion, the producer and musician, best known for his track Happy in Despicable Me2 and winner of 13 Grammy Awards, is not however at its first attempt.
Louis Vuitton is delighted to welcome @Pharrell as its new Men’s Creative Director. His first collection for Louis Vuitton will be revealed next June during Men’s Fashion Week in Paris. #LouisVuitton#PharrellWilliamspic.twitter.com/GRCQFfOAHK
— Louis Vuitton (@LouisVuitton) February 14, 2023
Decisive trip to Japan
Born on April 5, 1973 in Virginia Beach, a city on the east coast of the United States, to a teacher mother and a handler father, Pharrell Williams began music at a very young age and distinguished himself in the 1990s with the duo The Neptunes which he forms with his friend Chad Hugo. During the 2000s, he continued his career with two solo albums, multiplied collaborations with artists such as Daft Punk, and produced stars of the American rap, hip-hop and pop scene such as Snoop Dog, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.
Her interest in fashion dates back to her early days in the music industry. In 2003, during a trip to Japan as part of a tour, he met the Japanese designer Nigo – at the origin of the luxury “streetwear” brand A Bathing Ape and today artistic director of Kenzo.
Inspired by this universe, Pharrell Williams created the Billionnaire boys club clothing brand, whose logo represents an astronaut. The brand is unveiled during the release of the clip for his first solo single, Frontin’, in collaboration with rapper Jay-Z, in which he wears a black t-shirt flocked with the logo.
World’s Best Dressed Man
Out of step with mid-2000s American hip-hop fashion, characterized by baggy pants, Pharrell gradually introduced “streetwear” to the United States, through graphic collections made up of hoodies and sweatpants. tracksuit. Billionaire boys club expands to New York, London and Tokyo and expands from an exclusively men’s line to a line of clothing for women and children.
His influence also goes through collaborations with shoe brands like Reebok, then the iconic Adidas, in 2004. The following year, he was elected the “best dressed man in the world” by the American men’s monthly Esquire, then that he stands out on the red carpets with his keen sense of fashion. From zip-up hoodies, baggy tees, wool cardigans and fitted jeans, her sartorial style continues to evolve into colorful chinos, fitted jackets, bow ties and her signature hat, created by designer Vivienne Westwood.
Pharrell Williams wearing the hat designed by Vivienne Westwood, outside the BBC studios in London, in 2014. / Perry Smylee / Matrixpictures.co.uk/MATRIX/MAXPPP
Multiples collaborations
During the 2010s, he broadened his influence in the world of fashion by multiplying collaborations with renowned brands such as Chanel, Moncler, Uniqlo and Louis Vuitton. In 2015, he was awarded the “Fashion Icon Award”, the equivalent of the “Oscars of fashion”, at a ceremony organized by the Council of American Fashion Designers – an association that brings together more than 350 fashion professionals. in the USA.
In 2018, he launched a new collaboration with Adidas for a pair of sports shoes that celebrate “unity, equality, humanity, and color”, inspired by African motifs with words in Swahili. “I have the same philosophy for dressing as when I make music,” he said in an interview on American radio, claiming a “universalist” spirit, open to all currents, without prejudice.
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