It’s official: Pharrell Williams is taking over the role of menswear creative director at Louis Vuitton. The house as well as Williams’ PR rep have just confirmed news reports that he had been in talks to take the job, which was last filled by the late designer Virgil Abloh.
Williams’ first collection for Louis Vuitton will be shown to the world in June during men’s fashion week in Paris. Long hailed as a trend-setting style icon on red carpets, Williams, 49, has maintained a close relationship with Chanel, where his role as a brand ambassador was extended last October. The record producer has also done fashion collaborations with such brands as Moncler, Adidas for its Stan Smith line and even two with Louis Vuitton (including a line of aviator sunglasses). He also founded the streetwear lines Billionaire Boys Club and IceCream, as well as the skin-care line Humanrace.
In a statement, Louis Vuitton chairman and CEO Pietro Beccari said he’s glad to welcome Williams “back home” following his earlier collaborations with the house in 2004 and 2008. “His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and very exciting chapter,” Beccari added.
In announcing his appointment, Louis Vuitton showed Williams draped in an LV-logo blanket. Expect the Grammy-winning producer and rapper — who has worked with such artists as Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Rihanna and Justin Timberlake — to tap his extensive contacts in music, art, fashion and Hollywood to keep the house attuned and connected to pop culture.
Williams’ predecessor, Abloh, who died in November 2021, had headed Louis Vuitton menswear for four years and was the label’s first African American artistic director. Abloh was also the founder of the fashion brand Off-White, which was purchased by Louis Vuitton parent company LVMH in 2021.
Among his many ventures, Williams launched Black Ambition in 2020, a nonprofit initiative that supports Black and Latinx entrepreneurs with technology, health care, Web 3.0, media, entertainment and consumer products/services startups. He also launched the music festival Something in the Water in his hometown of Virginia Beach, with a new installment scheduled for April.
