Pharrell Williams Stages Louis Vuitton Debut on Pont Neuf

For his debut collection at Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams drew his global audience to the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris, kicking off his tenure as creative director of menswear with a celebrity-packed outdoor show. Models strode across the gold-painted runway to live music in a show that further anchored the LVMH-owned (LVMH.PA) label in popular culture. They paraded pearl-embellished tracksuits, furry outerwear, and sparkling jackets with the label’s signature checkmark pattern.

The music artist, entrepreneur, and multihyphenate star’s appointment to run the luxury brand’s men’s line had many raising eyebrows, just as it did when cult streetwear designer Virgil Abloh was hired to replace Kim Jones at LVMH’s other fashion mothership Dior in 2022. Unlike Jones, who studied at London’s prestigious Central St Martins fashion school, Williams isn’t classically trained as a designer. But he told The Associated Press in a joint interview Tuesday that he doesn’t feel pressure to prove himself and that his role is to create “something new.”

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In his first Louis Vuitton show, the multihyphenate star channeled his own personal style and the house’s iconic codes. He introduced new motifs, including embroidered designs taken from the works of American artist Henry Taylor on tailoring and denim, as well as a logo that blends the classic Louis Vuitton monogram with the word “lovers.” He also sent out several elevated Varsity jackets and tailored shorts with matching blazers.

But the most crucial thing Williams brought to the collection was a sense of ease and confidence. He’s a man who knows what he wants and how to get it. He owns his look — whether it’s a monochromatic yellow suit with a bolo tie, denim on denim, or an oversized fedora hat — an elegance and swagger that will help him transition to high fashion.

This ease and confidence were on display in the celebrity-packed front row, which included friends of the designer like Beyonce and Jay-Z, Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Zendaya, Lewis Hamilton, Jared Leto, Kim Kardashian, and more. Several of them were clad in camouflage, and all sported sunglasses by the label. The most prominent, however, was probably Williams himself – the star sat in the front row, sporting a head-to-toe camouflage outfit that included a structured suit, sneakers, and a matching bolo tie. And, of course, oval sunglasses.