Pharrell Williams

Louis Vuitton named multi-hyphenate musician Pharrell Williams as creative director of menswear in February, further blurring the lines between popular culture and luxury fashion.

Williams inherited the position that was left vacant by the death of Virgil Abloh in November 2021, and took its owner, luxury conglomerate LVMH, almost a year to fill.

Williams debuted his first collection during Paris Men's Fashion Week in June 2023. Held on the Pont Neuf bridge, it was nothing short of a mega-budget, star-studded spectacle, with a front row including Jay-Z and Beyoncé, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, Zendaya and Kim Kardashian.

LVMH released interim results shortly after Williams’ presentation. In the the first six months of 2023, the luxury conglomerate recorded €42.2bn (£36.2bn) in revenue – a year-on-year increase of 15%. In the fashion and leather goods division – its highest-performing category – profit from recurring operations was up 14% to €8.5bn, and LVMH noted “remarkable performances by Louis Vuitton".

LVMH stated: “[Williams'] first fashion show was met with huge enthusiasm and more than 1.1 billion views on social media, reaching an all-time high.”

Although some factions of the industry doubted Williams’ experience at the time, he is no stranger to the world of fashion. In 2005, he partnered with Japanese fashion designer and DJ Nigo, founder of streetwear brand A Bathing Ape (now artistic director of Kenzo) to create the streetwear brands Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream footwear. He has also collaborated with Moncler, Adidas, G-Star Raw, Chanel and Uniqlo. In November 2020, Williams launched his own skincare line called Humanrace.

Whether the stardust will stick will be revealed shortly, as Williams will present his second menswear collection for Louis Vuitton in January 2024.

• Read more: Power 100 2023