Pharrell, who just turned 50 this year despite still looking like he did during The Neptunes’ heyday, just held his first show as the head menswear designer of Louis Vuitton — a role he’s held since early this year. After recruiting Rihanna to headline the first campaign under his guidance, clips and photos of Pharrell’s first show have begun to emerge on social media, revealing both his design sensibility and his musical as the show apparently featured a previously unheard song from his longtime collaborators, Clipse. Malice can be heard rapping over this clip, while the brothers Thornton can be seen walking the runway in some of the photos.
— 16 (@uh_p3p) June 20, 2023
Louis Vuitton SS24 by Pharrell Williams pic.twitter.com/iXj1pTks1e
— Outlander Magazine (@StreetFashion01) June 20, 2023
Louis Vuitton SS24 by Pharrell (First Looks) pic.twitter.com/XDEGoL7qoG
— Outlander Magazine (@StreetFashion01) June 20, 2023
louis vuitton men’s spring 2024 by pharrell williams pic.twitter.com/MX7ygLg7zf
— ❦ (@thesoftestaura) June 20, 2023
Pharrell Williams, men’s creative director of Louis Vuitton pic.twitter.com/c5WSkcT6sr
— highsnobiety (@highsnobiety) June 20, 2023
Pharrell took over as head menswear designer at Louis Vuitton after the role was left vacant by the death of his friend and frequent collaborator Virgil Abloh, who held the role from 2018 until he passed in 2021. In an interview with WWD, Pharrell addressed his lack of high-end fashion experience, comparing himself to some of the greats of the industry. “I didn’t go to Central Saint Martins, but I also didn’t go to Juilliard either in music and I mean, we see how that turned out,” he said. “It’s cool. That’s a very fair observation. But neither did Vivienne Westwood, right? Tadao Ando was self-taught. I mean, he’s the GOAT, right? I only aspire to express myself.”
You can check out examples of Pharrell’s first Louis Vuitton line above.