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Pharrell Williams has been named creative director of Louis Vuitton and will debut his first official collection in June during men’s fashion week in Paris, the luxury fashion house announced on Tuesday (Feb. 14).
“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,” LMVH, Louis Vuitton’s parent company shared in a statement posted to the brand’s Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Williams is, of course, no stranger to the fashion world and known for his eclectic style. The Virginia native founded the streetwear brand, Billionaire Boys Club, in 2003 and has previously partnered with Louis Vuitton in the past and other major brands like Adidas. The 49-year-old father of three also launched Humanrace, a unisex skin-care line in 2020.
“I am glad to welcome Pharrell back home, after our collaborations in 2004 and 2008 for Louis Vuitton, as our new Men’s Creative Director,” said Pietro Beccari, Louis Vuitton’s Chairman and CEO. “His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and very exciting chapter.”
Williams will take over the position previously held by Virgil Abloh who passed away in 2021 following a battle with cancer. In an 2020 interview with the New York Times, Abloh shared how Williams and his Neptunes partner, Chad Hugo’s, N.E.R.D. album inspired his work.
“There’s an interview where [Williams] classically said, ‘The album is too white for Black radio and too Black for white radio,” Abloh explained at the time. “As a kid growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, skateboarding and finding my own identity, it resonated with me more than hip-hop on its own. [It said] that it was fine to be in between. And I think that has described a whole generation of young Black kids and artists who have since been determined to be themselves and jump through that door that was opened by Pharrell.”
