-By Pratyasha Sarkar
Pharrell Williams has emblazoned Rihanna’s picture across the side of a Parisian building to give fans another look at his next collection, just five days before his big Louis Vuitton premiere. That Williams should have a pregnant woman head his first-ever men’s campaign is significant: it’s not about biological sex, it’s about swag. She is bundled in vibrant, monogrammed bags, and her pregnancy protrudes from a glitch-print leather top. Thumbs hooked into the waist of his stacked flares as though he’s just pulled off a crazy feat, the designer himself appears to share that mentality.
The two have been buddies since they were only a couple of singer-songwriters. They released their joint single “Lemon” in 2017 while Williams was rumoured to be working on Rihanna’s almost mythical ninth album. They are the only celebrities to have ever worked for an LVMH brand, and even if Rihanna closed her line in 2021, who is to say that she won’t eventually work on a Louis Vuitton capsule? The same can be said of BTS icon J-Hope, who was just introduced as the brand’s Keepall bag’s spokesperson while hurling himself about a stark white studio in a series of asymmetric suits.
Williams’ collection’s details are still scant—all will be revealed on June 20—but it appears that he is making an attempt to pay homage to Louis Vuitton’s beginnings as an accessory company. Since Marc Jacobs took over in 1997, the maison has only recently begun to produce apparel, and all of Williams’ work to date has been focused on handbags and leather items. But with Milan Fashion Week still in progress and Fendi showcasing its SS24 presentation in Florence, there is a tonne of ground to cover before his debut.
