The music producer will succeed the late Virgil Abloh as creative director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear designs and will debut his debut collection at June’s Men’s Fashion Week.
Louis Vuitton has appointed Pharrell Williams to lead the creative direction of its menswear designs, filling the high-profile role left empty by the death of Virgil Abloh over a year ago.
“Louis Vuitton is thrilled to welcome @Pharrell as Men’s Creative Director,” the fashion brand tweeted, confirming earlier media reports.
Williams’ debut collection for the label will debut during Men’s Fashion Week in Paris in June, according to the brand.
Williams, 49, is a music producer and primary vocalist for N.E.R.D.
He has also had a successful solo singing and songwriting career, with singles such as “Happy” and “Blurred Lines.”
Williams received one of his two Oscar nods for Happy, which he composed for Despicable Me 2. His second Academy nomination came for producing Hidden Figures, a nominee for best film.
Williams is also noted for his distinctive aesthetic and vast fashion business expertise, having contributed to the growth of streetwear and co-founding the label Billionaire Boys Club with Japanese designer Nigo in 2003.
In addition to Adidas and Moncler and Chanel, he has created partnerships with Adidas.
In 2004, he designed eyewear for Louis Vuitton in collaboration with designer Marc Jacobs.
Significant employment
Williams made headlines last year when he attended Nigo’s inaugural fashion show in Paris for LVMH-owned label Kenzo. While wearing diamond-studded Tiffany glasses, which was another design collaboration with an LVMH-owned brand.
Analysts at Credit Suisse stated, “Williams is a huge hire, needed to fill the large shoes left by Virgil Abloh.”
They also remarked that the “big move” by the brand’s new CEO, Pietro Beccari, indicates that the brand’s ties to popular culture and music will remain.
In 2021, Abloh passed away at the age of 41 following a private struggle with cancer.
In 2019, the influential Louis Vuitton menswear designer and founder of the Off-White fashion line was diagnosed with cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare and deadly form of cancer.
