Pharrell Williams

Louis Vuitton named music producer Pharrell Williams as its new menswear designer, filling a role previously held by the late Virgil Abloh.

Williams would fill the spot left vacant since the 2021 death of Virgil Abloh from cancer. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Williams, 49, rose to fame in the music business as a producer and singer with hits including Happy and Blurred Lines. He played a role in the rise of streetwear, co-founding the label Billionaire Boys Club with Japanese designer Nigo in 2003, and launching collaborations with Adidas as well as luxury brands Moncler and Chanel. “Louis Vuitton is delighted to welcome @Pharrell as its new Men’s Creative Director,” said the French luxury fashion house in a tweet, confirming earlier reports from the Wall Street Journal and the French daily Le Figaro.

Musician and entrepreneur is second Black American designer to hold position at French luxury house after Virgil Abloh.

[a record year in 2022](https://www.lvmh.com/news-documents/press-releases/new-record-year-for-lvmh-in-2022/), recording revenues of €79.2bn (£69.9bn) and profits of €21.1bn, both up 23%. In December Bernard Arnault, the conglomerate’s chief executive, was named the world’s richest person, [pushing Elon Musk off the top spot](https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/dec/14/elon-musk-loses-title-of-worlds-richest-person-to-bernard-arnault). His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and very exciting chapter.” The way in which he breaks boundaries across the various worlds he explores aligns with Louis Vuitton’s status as a cultural maison, reinforcing its values of innovation, pioneer spirit and entrepreneurship”. Abloh made history as the first when he was appointed in March 2018. He has also previously collaborated with Louis Vuitton.

Hugely successful producer and singer Pharrell Williams will serve as the creative director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collection, the luxury brand ...

Williams, a 13-time Grammy Award winner, is a record producer who first rose to prominence in the late 1990s as part of the hip-hop duo The Neptunes. In 2004, Williams collaborated with Marc Jacobs, who was then the creative director for Louis Vuitton, on a line of sunglasses. Abloh, who held the position from 2018 until his death in 2021, was the first. He later partnered with Japanese fashion designer Nigo—now the creative director of Kenzo, another brand owned by LVMH—to found the streetwear labels Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, including his song “Happy,” Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and Ludacris’ “Money Maker.” He is also a two-time Academy Award nominee, including for Best Original Song for “Happy” and for Best Picture as a producer of the 2017 film Hidden Figures. The hire complements an effort by Louis Vuitton to incorporate streetwear fashion into its brand, following a collaboration with the skateboarding label Supreme in 2017 and the hiring of Virgil Abloh, founder of the luxury streetwear brand Off-White, the following year.

Williams' first collection for the label will be shown in June during Men's Fashion Week in Paris.

He played a role in the rise of streetwear, co-founding the label Billionaire Boys Club with Japanese designer Nigo in 2003, and launching collaborations with Adidas as well as luxury brands Moncler and Chanel. Williams rose to fame in the music business as a producer and singer with hits including Happy and Blurred Lines. Williams also has extensive experience in the fashion industry.

LVMH's top label Louis Vuitton said on Tuesday it has hired Pharrell Williams to head artistic direction of its menswear designs, tapping a popular figure ...

Pharrell Williams is a visionary recording artist, producer, songwriter, philanthropist, fashion designer, and entrepreneur with 10B combined global music ...

In April 2019, Williams launched his first SOMETHING IN THE WATER, a multi-day music festival and experience on the beach in his hometown of Virginia Beach. Pharrell excels as a fashion designer and entrepreneur with his Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream apparel among other brands. This April, SOMETHING IN THE WATER returns to Virginia Beach and will continue its mission spotlighting the community. Last summer, Williams brought his SOMETHING IN THE WATER Music festival to Washington D.C. In 2018, Pharrell narrated Universal’s remake of the classic film The Grinch, authored the book A Fish Doesn’t Know It’s Wet, and released the Netflix Original series Brainchild (2018) with his producing partner, Mimi Valdés. The way in which he breaks boundaries across the various worlds he explores aligns with Louis Vuitton’s status as a Cultural Maison, reinforcing its values of innovation, pioneer spirit and entrepreneurship.

Pharrell Williams is the new men's creative director of Louis Vuitton, the French luxury fashion brand announced late on 14 February.

[The Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/articles/pharrell-williams-louis-vuitton-mens-design-director-d2689117), the fashion brand took 164 years to become the luxury industry’s first USD 10-billion brand in 2018. The publication notes that he comes at a time when analysts are expecting an economic softening in key markets. In the past, he has also collaborated with luxury brands such as Adidas, “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. The American musician and record producer will succeed Virgil Abloh, who passed away in November 2021. [Fashion Week in Paris](https://www.lifestyleasia.com/sg/style/fashion/paris-fashion-week-2023-menswear-highlights-louis-vuitton-dior-and-more/) in June.

Louis Vuitton has named Pharrell Williams as its new menswear Creative Director. Williams will succeed the late Virgil Abloh.

[The Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/articles/pharrell-williams-louis-vuitton-mens-design-director-d2689117), the fashion brand took 164 years to become the luxury industry’s first USD 10-billion brand in 2018. Abloh was appointed in 2018 as the artistic director of Louis Vuitton, becoming the first Black American to assume the position at a European luxury house. The publication notes that he comes at a time when analysts are expecting an economic softening in key markets. Williams also collaborated with Louis Vuitton on a pair of sunglasses named Millionaire in 2005. “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. The American musician and record producer will succeed Virgil Abloh, who passed away in November 2021.

The celebrity producer will fill Virgil Abloh's vacant role and head men's design at the fashion house.

Williams](https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304636404577298134038869046?mod=article_inline), a native of Virginia Beach, Va., who rose to prominence in the late 1990s as a part of hip-hop duo the Neptunes, is now the second. Abloh was [the first Black American](https://www.wsj.com/articles/virgil-abloh-left-an-outsize-impact-on-global-fashion-and-culture-11638145499?mod=article_inline) to be appointed as the head designer at a European luxury fashion house. [who died in November 2021](https://www.wsj.com/story/american-designer-virgil-abloh-dies-of-cancer-at-age-41-17c2bd2a?mod=article_inline).

Louis Vuitton has named Pharrell Williams as its new menswear Creative Director. Williams will succeed the late Virgil Abloh.

[The Wall Street Journal](https://www.wsj.com/articles/pharrell-williams-louis-vuitton-mens-design-director-d2689117), the fashion brand took 164 years to become the luxury industry’s first USD 10-billion brand in 2018. Abloh was appointed in 2018 as the artistic director of Louis Vuitton, becoming the first Black American to assume the position at a European luxury house. The publication notes that he comes at a time when analysts are expecting an economic softening in key markets. His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and very exciting chapter,” the fashion house’s chairman and CEO Pietro Beccari said in a statement. Williams also collaborated with Louis Vuitton on a pair of sunglasses named Millionaire in 2005. The American musician and record producer will succeed Virgil Abloh, who passed away in November 2021.

The singer, producer and designer has a long history of working with fashion brands — as well as big shoes to fill. Williams' first Louis Vuitton collection ...

"When you listen to yourself and you're comfortable in who you are, you wear what you feel like fits and looks right on you," he added. "And he helped open doors to a wider cast of creatives, engaging directly with his followers, online and off, and offering them 'cheat codes' and 'trails of information' for how to launch brands of their own." [artistic director of Kenzo](https://www.lvmh.com/news-documents/news/nigo-named-artistic-director-of-maison-kenzo/), which is also owned by LVMH). He broke boundaries himself as one of few Black designers leading a luxury fashion house and worked to pave the way for others after him. And he's also [launched Humanrace](https://www.google.com/search?q=pharrel+humanrace&rlz=1C1GCEJ_enUS1023US1023&oq=pharrel+humanrace&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i10i512l2j0i10i22i30j0i390l3.2301j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8), a skincare and wellness company. "Everything Virgil stood for [was] to open doors," one user wrote. "His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and very exciting chapter." [GQ notes](https://www.gq.com/story/louis-vuitton-pharrell-williams) that he's been a style icon throughout his career, from mixing skateboarder-wear with hip-hop style as the frontman of N.E.R.D in the early 2000s to embracing womenswear and gender-neutral clothing in recent years. He's also worked with Moncler, Adidas Originals and Tiffany & Company. [grew the role](https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/luxury/virgil-abloh-i-am-not-a-designer/) from "designer" to "curator," the AP reports, expanding his interests into things like housewares, jewelry and architecture. [the first man](https://www.latimes.com/fashion/la-ig-wwd-pharrell-williams-chanel-handbags-ads-20170310-story.html) to appear in a Chanel ad) and a unisex clothing collection with Karl Lagerfeld in 2019. [listed at more than double their original price](https://wwd.com/pop-culture/culture-news/pharrell-millionaire-louis-vuitton-spike-search-interest-1235527393/) on resale sites, and Abloh — a friend of Williams — reissued the line in 2018.

The approaches taken by the fashion houses could not be more different. Their new creative leads have huge designer sneakers to fill.

Ahead of his first showing as creative director of Louis Vuitton, take a look at the best fashion collaborations by Pharrell Williams.

Williams was close friends with Karl Lagerfeld, which resulting in him walking for the brand and eventually releasing a collaborative capsule collection of his own. In 2017—following two years of partnership—G-Star Raw and Williams released a sustainable collection. The brainchild of Williams and Nigo, streetwear label Billionaire Boys Club was released in two exclusive drops for the now-shuttered Parisian concept store, Colette. Ahead of his first show, Vogue takes a look at some of his most notable fashion collaborations to date. The collaboration saw massive success and to this day, the pieces from this collection are still highly sought-after. [Pharrell Williams](https://vogue.sg/chanels-first-show-in-africa/) will be taking over the reins of Louis Vuitton’s menswear collections.

It is instructive that neither Abloh and Williams allowed such funneling to define their career trajectories, and laudatory that Louis Vuitton has not been ...

o Williams is an ecosystem builder: Somewhere along the way, Pharell Williams admitted that while he, alone, wrote the song, it was the thousands of collaborators, who made it theirs, that made the song such a success; “Happy” is as much the success of the people who are joyously dancing in the video, as it is the author’s. Not such a bad outcome for a fashion house seeking to be innovative and successful in the marketplace. [Vogue has referred to Pharrell Williams](https://www.vogue.com/article/pharrell-williams-named-louis-vuitton-mens-creative-director) as a “multi-hyphenate musician and entrepreneur” and that “multi-hyphenate” tells it all. Mary Kaye Schilling, of Fast Company, suggested that the result is that a secret of Williams’ innovative success is that he “a All of this fits-in with an underlying awareness of Williams’ that “If anything, I've learned that [I'm not in control](https://www.npr.org/about-npr/452953953/transcript-pharrell-williams-in-conversation-with-nyu-tisch-npr-music). He exemplifies what we hope for in an innovative leader, not only for fashion, but for every industry. we're going to do this, we're going to do that, and really at the end of the day it's the fans that make that determination.” So, inviting fans in to interpret the song as they feel it, made abundant sense, and made the whole effect of the video, and ultimately the song, as well, so much better. An even bigger experiment, however, was the eleven-day making of [the twenty-four hour “Happy” video](https://www.fastcompany.com/3022066/how-pharrell-and-a-cast-of-hundreds-got-happy-for-a-24-hour-interactive-video), featuring 400 people, some random, some not, lip-syncing and dancing four-minute versions of the title song. o Pharrell is not entirely an outsider either: If Williams is not a fashion-insider, neither is he really an outsider. [His best-known musical hit is the song “Happy,”](https://youtu.be/ZbZSe6N_BXs) which he wrote for the movie Despicable Me 2. This is a good example of hiring talent for what they have done, rather than where they did it. o Pharrell isn’t an insider to the fashion industry: Remember, disruption always starts at the edges.