pharrell williams debuts first louis vuitton men's collection against a checkered gold backdrop

Pharrell Williams debuts FIRST LOUIS VUITTON COLLECTION

Pharrell Williams takes over Louis Vuitton SS24 and debuts his first menswear collection with the Parisian fashion house, starting with chromatic LV-monogrammed Speedy bags and pixelated camouflage. Louis Vuitton and Pharrell Williams set their fashion show in Paris at the illuminated Pont Neuf – the iconic bridge which has spanned the river Seine for 445 years – and allure the viewers with the collection of the new men’s creative director before the scenic view of the Eiffel Tower. Pharrell Williams succeeded Virgil Abloh as the men’s creative director of the fashion house.

The Grammy-winning musician dabbling in fashion made a resounding statement with his highly anticipated Men’s SS24 collection for Louis Vuitton. The line was splashed with playful prints, underscoring colorful checkerboard and pixelated camouflage. The pronounced patterns shone in vibrant and hushed colors, pared-down neutrals, and shades of grey, drenching their palettes in everything from apparel to bags and luggage. Silhouettes blurred lines of gender with oversized fits, thigh-high shorts, wrap-skirts, and structured cuts shown on both masculine and feminine models during the show.

Pharell Williams closing debut show for Louis Vuitton in a Damoflage motif suit | images courtesy of Louis Vuitton

LOUIS VUITTON MEN’S SS24: PIXELATED PRINTS & CAMOUFLAGE

During Pharrell Williams’ debut collection for Louis Vuitton, the luxury fashion house’s Damier print becomes a yellow-and-white checkerboard carpeting the floor of the lighted Pont Neuf. At the rear of the set design, the gospel choir rejoices as they sing ‘joy’ while the collection is being showcased. Touching upon Williams’ debut, the feel of racing gear meeting winter outfits graces the show. His Damier-inspired ensemble of lush blue suit and pants complements the red tote and yellow gym bag, both designed with the Damier print too.

Even the word ‘Vuitton’ gets a revamped look as Williams’ increases the font size of the word, even makes it bolder and more sans serif, encloses it in a grid, and prints it in the middle of a Damier-engraved yellow and brown loose top. The landscape of Pont Neuf with the river flowing below also appears as the main design in one of the long coats shown in the debut collection, its pixelated and soft-toned flair may recall the souvenirs and goods sold at tourist shops in cities. For his outfit, Pharrell Williams wears his pixelated camouflage uniform or ‘Damoflage’, alluding to the blend of the style he is aiming for the fashion house and Louis Vuitton’s design legacy.

gold-like checkerboard set design of Louis Vuitton SS24

Pharrell Williams leather jacket + cup sleeve

On his Instagram stories, Pharell Williams teased his viewers on what they could expect in the Louis Vuitton SS24 show. In one of the slides, he shared the post of the Paris-based team Skateboard where a leather jacket is printed with the iconic Louis Vuitton pixels in shifting hues and has a braille-like engraving of PHARELL on the lower left pocket. Williams is also seen wearing the said leather jacket hours before the show, cueing that it might be part of his debut collection.

In another video posted by Skateboard, Pharell Williams is wearing what may seem a more modest reiteration of bell-bottom pants, drenched in military colors and pixelated motif. As the video continues, a cup next to Williams’ feet is seen where a cup sleeve snugly hugs his drink, imprinted with the famous LV monogram and ‘louis vuitton!’ chunky-sized text in the middle. The thin sans serif font of the French luxury house gets bigger and bolder in white font color, a seemingly Pharrell-Williams twist for the fashion house.

Five days before his debut show, Pharell Williams published a self-portrait standing behind a giant Louis Vuitton billboard where songstress Rihanna had posed for the season’s campaign, carrying the chromatic LV-monogrammed Speedy bags. Hours before the show goes live, he also teased the viewers with a video clip of him walking near the venue of the show, soundtracked by a choir singing ‘joy.’ Here, Pharell Williams seems to hint at bringing over the influence of music in his debut collection, throwing in the spice of art with the way he consciously selected the zesty hues of the apparel.

golden Damier print on the runway