Pharrell Williams is Louis Vuitton’s New Menswear Creative Director
Pharrell Williams is Louis Vuitton’s new Creative Director for menswear. Most famous for his musical career, Williams is now one of very few Black designers with leading positions in high fashion. His appointment is a strange but intriguing one, and whether or not it is a good idea, only time will tell.
Photo via Louis Vuitton on Twitter
Certainly, he has a lot to bring to the table. Menswear and streetwear owe a great debt to hip hop and skateboard culture, with which Williams is well acquainted; he is a wildly successful rapper, singer, and music producer, and even has his own skateboarding-inspired shoe brand, Ice Cream. Nor is he a newbie to fashion design: he has his own streetwear label, Billionaire Boys Club, and has collaborated with brands such as Adidas, Diesel, Chanel, and Moncler.
Photo: Hypebeast France via Hypebeast
But let’s be honest; these reasons are only one factor as to why Pharrell Williams was chosen as Louis Vuitton’s Creative Director. Virgil Abloh, William’s late predecessor, was the first Black American to serve as creative director for a French luxury brand. Clearly, this is working for Louis Vuitton, and with this appointment they are aiming for something similar; someone without formal design training, but enough experience to make their way to one of the most coveted positions in fashion.
The problem is that unlike Abloh, Williams does not really represent doors opening for Black designers. He is, first and foremost, a celebrity, and when you boil it down, that is why he was awarded the position over any other candidates. Celebrity is increasingly important in fashion; in the boardroom, at events, in marketing campaigns.
Photo: Getty Images via WWD
Certainly, celebrity has always had its place in the fashion world, but it seems as though more and more, the allure of fame is more important than training, skill, or innovation.
At the end of the day, Williams will probably do a fine job as creative director of Louis Vuitton. He is not afraid of stunts, or being subversive, and it seems as though he has his finger on the pulse of a new generation of consumers.
Still, the choice is neither risky nor innovative, though perhaps it is ostensibly trying to be. It shows that fashion is about marketing more than it is about art or expression, and this loss in particular is a tough blow to take.