Why Pharrell Williams will make LVMH happy

Amid the dusk light, there’s hushed, excited chatter. And then drums, lights, and orchestral tones. It’s 10:18 p.m. in Paris, and Pharrell Williams is debuting his first collection as creative director at Louis Vuitton, Spring-Summer 2024. Never mind that it is three quarters of an hour late — fashionably late — nobody cares. This is the biggest fashion event of the year, and we can wait. We’ve been waiting a year and a half already.

This is a big deal. Lous Vuitton’s creative director is the biggest role in menswear, formerly held by the beloved, brilliant Virgil Abloh, who passed away from cancer in November 2021. Though it was his predecessor, Kim Jones, who had brought streetwear aesthetics to Vuitton, Abloh’s contribution expanded this in a more broad, authentic and creative way. It was under his direction that Louis Vuitton introduced jewelry for men, leant hard into sneakers, and realized that classic men’s bags, shrunk down — otherwise known as “handbags” — could be sold to men too. Though his run at Vuitton was less than four years, Abloh’s work for the house is iconic. In a hundred years, his most notable pieces will still draw crowds at museums.

That’s an enormous hole to fill; and, as announced this Valentine’s Day, Pharrell is the man to fill it. This week, we saw what that would look like.

This debit collection consists of two core elements. The first is military inspired looks, with sandy beige, and camouflage coats, taking Vuitton’s signature check “damier” print to its most abstract conclusion. Pharrell coined it “Damouflage,” and the clothes were no more successful than the name. The lux-military blend is drab and somewhat tired at this point. Nobody is stimulated by LV wellington knockoff.

Thankfully, the final two thirds were a splatter-shot set of looks, from overcoats to rugby jerseys, and there was no central theme or shared design motif, but all screamed Pharrell. The accessories were bright, with extensive gold and silver hardware; the clothes had a casual fit but intricate textures, playing with that classic damier check; and taken collectively, this was a bright, bold, dramatic vision of luxury.

That’s not to say it’s new. A pearl-covered checker-board coat is stunning but hardly innovative, and the golden metallic Keepall was also gorgeous, but just a continuation of a Virgil design.

And yet, none of this matters. The show was a hit before it debuted.

Pharrell did exactly what he needed to, and he was hired for a specific reason. He is famous for his excellent, eclectic taste, and has a history in high-fashion — from his “Chanel-Pharrell” Adidas NMD sneakers to his own brand, Billionaire Boys Club — but that mattered little either. He designed the collaborative “Millionaire” sunglasses for Louis Vuitton in 2004, but fashion critics who mention this now, as though it has any relevance to his appointment, do little but betray their own unprofessional naivete.

Above anything else, what matters for Louis Vuitton — and its owners, the Arnault family — is that Pharrell is a hit maker. Whether he’s producing earworms like “Happy,” or luxury items for runways, the man can move product; and that’s what Creative Director is about.

When it came to selecting a successor to Abloh, the fashion press tossed around many potential names, including Bianca Saunders, Daniel Lee, Riccardo Tisci, Haider Ackermann, and Craig Green. They all would have been great artistic choices.

But the role of “creative director” is not about being a fashion curator, given patronage by the good will and social conscious of LVMH. It’s about ensuring a multi-billion-dollar fashion Goliath stays relevant, and keeps growing. And if a fashion industry name were its creative director, Rihanna wouldn’t have been in the audience. Nor would have Jay Z. Pusha T wouldn’t have walked the show, and celebrities wouldn’t have clamored to see the show. It would have been fantastic, artistically, but this is a business baby.

Though LVMH does not separate out the sales of its various brands, it’s widely known that Abloh’s success as creative director was as much commercial as it was artistic. It’s not incidental that those areas that he pushed furthest in and made so iconic — men’s jewelry, bags and sneakers — are the highest margin products in fashion, and have the greatest growth potential in menswear.

Similarly, it is not incidental that bags were such a central focus of the Pharrell show. All but one look had a bag, each distinct, and given careful attention by Louis Vuitton’s cameramen. There were small leather clutches, handbags inspired by the trunks, weekenders with his new “Damoflage” print, a leather shopping bag and backpacks upon backpacks upon backpacks. Most notable are his simpler, more classical leather bags, fitted with repeating LV hardware. They’re not original, but they’re deeply beautiful, and bound to be hits. Hypebeasts and normal luxury purchasers alike will flock to them; and the repeating silver LVs being quite similar to the style of Chrome Hearts bags (one of the most exclusive luxury brands in the world) certainly won’t hurt. Though less attention was paid to them, his new Louis Vuitton sneakers — which look like bolder, bigger, monochrome versions of his beloved mid-2000s Reebok-produced “Icecream” sneakers — will also fly off shelves.

Pharrell, the man behind “Happy,” themed his show around “love.” It was about a love of creativity, of expression, of diverse fashion cultures and sharing and blending of them. For the Arnaults, it was also for the love of monetizing them.

The new LV is the same as the old LV; inspiringly creative, and immensely lucrative. Though Pharrell sang along to the accompanying gospel band, as they cried out “THANK YOU GOD FOR YOUR JOY,” the Arnaults will resonated with a different song by Pharrell. It was released last year. The title, and chorus were “Cash In, Cash Out.” It was a hit. And it was a damn great song.