Luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton announced the appointment of hip-hop artist Pharrell Williams as its new head of menswear.
Williams fills the spot left vacant since the death of Virgil Abloh from cancer in November 2021.
The 49-year-old is an established superstar in the music world, with 13 Grammys and two Oscar nominations, and has been a fixture in the front row of fashion shows for years.
“Pharrell Williams is a visionary whose creative universe spans from music to art to fashion — establishing himself as a universal cultural icon over the past 20 years,” said the fashion house, part of the LVMH luxury conglomerate.
“I’m delighted to see Pharrell come back to the house as the new creative director for men, after our collaborations in 2004 and 2008 for Louis Vuitton,” said the fashion house’s chief executive, Pietro Beccari.
“His creative vision beyond fashion will without a doubt lead Louis Vuitton towards a new, very exciting chapter,” he said.
Louis Vuitton’s sales have soared since the Covid-19 pandemic, with the company now worth more than $20-billion — helping to turn the owner of its parent company LVMH, Bernard Arnault, into the world’s richest person.
– Millennial appeal –
Last month, Louis Vuitton put on one of the most talked-about shows of menswear week in Paris with a performance by pop star Rosalia and overseen by a collective of strongly hyped young designers.
Williams, who came to fame in the 1990s as part of hip-hop group The Neptunes, was not often mentioned in speculation surrounding the job.
But he fits with the label’s recent moves to attract a younger, streetwear-focused audience, and the interests he shares with Abloh include skateboarding, art and music.
He has previously teamed with other fashion brands for individual lines, including Diesel, Chanel, Moncler and Adidas.
In 2016, Williams was named co-owner of jeans brand G-Star Raw, and also co-founded the Japanese clothing maker Billionaire Boys Club.
AFP
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