Pharrell Williams is the superstar behind scores of music earworms, whose agelessness, sharp taste and forays into design have also made him a fixture on the fashion circuit for decades.
The pop culture renaissance man will now head menswear design for Louis Vuitton, stepping into the shoes of Virgil Abloh and becoming, after his predecessor, the second Black man to take on the role.
The trailblazing Abloh died of cancer in November 2021, and his spot at the European luxury house has remained vacant since.
The luxury fashion house announced Tuesday the appointment of the hip-hop artist as its new head of menswear. "Louis Vuitton is delighted to welcome Pharrell as its new Men's Creative Director with immediate effect," the storied brand said in a statement.
Louis Vuitton appoints @Pharrell as its new Men's Creative Director. His first collection for Louis Vuitton will be revealed this June during Men's Fashion Week in Paris. #LouisVuitton #PharrellWilliams pic.twitter.com/wAd3io0Ctn
— Louis Vuitton (@LouisVuitton) February 14, 2023
His first collection for Louis Vuitton will be presented in June during Men's Fashion Week in Paris, it added.
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. While he was not among those most rumoured as the successor, his streetwise sensibility meshes well with the brand's recent push to attract younger audiences.
"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.
Louis Vuitton head Pietro Beccari praised Pharrell's "creative vision beyond fashion," saying it would lead the label "towards a new and very exciting chapter."
"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.
In addition to teaming with brands including Adidas, Diesel, Chanel and Moncler, the prolific songwriter, producer and performer already partnered with Louis Vuitton, including in 2008 on a jewellery and sunglasses line.
He and his longtime partner, the fashion designer Helen Lasichanh, wed in 2013. In 2016 Williams was named co-owner of jeans brand G-Star Raw, and also co-founded the Japanese clothing maker Billionaire Boys Club.
Millennial appeal
The French brand had been happy to keep coasting on the hype generated by Abloh's three-year tenure, using his team and guest designers for recent shows.
Abloh, who died aged 41, became a star among millennials as he astutely combined luxury fashion with streetwear.
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 the 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 was also a fan of Abloh's: "Virgil you were a kind, generous, thoughtful creative genius your work as a human and your work as a spiritual being will live forever," he wrote upon the designer's death.
He has previously teamed with other fashion brands for individual lines, including Diesel, Chanel, Moncler and Adidas.
His partnership with Louis Vuitton in 2008 under then-creative director Marc Jacobs was for a jewellery and sunglasses line.
In 2016, Williams was named co-owner of jeans brand G-Star Raw, and also co-founded the Japanese clothing maker Billionaire Boys Club.
Music mogul
Born April 5, 1973, in the coastal US city of Virginia Beach, Williams and his childhood band camp friend Chad Hugo rose to fame beginning in the 1990s as the duo The Neptunes, after they were discovered by New Jack Swing architect Teddy Riley.
The polymaths shifted the sound of pop entirely, producing hit after hit, including Nelly's Hot in Herre and Britney Spears' I'm a Slave 4 U.
Their shortlist of collaborations includes Gwen Stefani, Kelis, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Madonna and Snoop Dogg. Williams also worked with major acts including Maroon 5 and Shakira -- and of course, Daft Punk, including the songs Get Lucky and Lose Yourself to Dance.
Williams also is a star performer in his own right, including with the globally viral hit Happy, as well as Blurred Lines which he performed with Robin Thicke and T.I.
The Oscar nominee with 13 Grammy wins last year was inducted into the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame as part of The Neptunes.
That night, wearing a showstopping cherry red leather suit, the ever-luminous artist -- whose porcelain, seemingly ageless skin has spawned myriad beauty articles as well as a skincare line -- delivered a lengthy ode to songwriting.
"When that sparkle hits you feel it in your bone, you feel it in your body," he said. "You feel this sense of direction."
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