The saying goes that there’s no smoke without fire, so when rumours broke about Pharrell Williams becoming the next creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear, it wasn’t long till every news outlet was ablaze with confirmations. Then, two opinionated camps took form. One tooted the music maestro and Billionaire Boys Club-founder for being a natural successor to Virgil Abloh, while the other questioned whether he was even ready for such a big step up.
Both camps, though, were (and still are) united by a shared anticipation, wondering what the 50-year-old's first collection will look like. That won't be clear until the spring/summer ’24 show in June. But on a recent outing to the new Tiffany & Co. store in New York, Mr Williams might have given us a hint to what he’ll be showing in a few months time.
His look has all the hallmarks of a standard PW outfit. There’s a piece of headwear and some wacky sunglasses. Gold chains layer over a graphic tee – a playful, Mickey Mouse number on this occasion. And he’s slumped a knitted cardy on top that is somehow both street-style cool and granny-core at the same time. Nothing out of the ordinary, then. But it’s the matching logo-laden biker jacket and bag that has caught our attention.
You see, if this was the summer of 2020 it would make sense. Ostentatious displays of luxury branding were as rampant as the next surge of Covid. But it’s 2023 now, ‘stealth wealth’ and ‘quiet luxury’ are dominating the discourse and dispelling the need for such a brash approach to dressing. But clearly the man doesn’t care for it.
Should we expect some more logos at Louis? Potentially. Its monogram has notably be painted across its collections and accessories for decades – nay, centuries! – and it’s unlikely the motif will be turned down, especially for such ephemeral fashion chat. However, it being printed on a biker jacket could also be a cursor of another Tik Tok-friendly trend, indie sleaze, one even those without the Roy dynasty can afford.
And if it isn't going to be Camden-chic-core this summer, then perhaps the biker hints toward a LV-skewed move to classic menswear staples? Breton tees, indigo denim, pea-coats etc...
In the meantime, you could show your alliance to what the multihyphenate is cooking up by copping yourself an LV leather (that exact piece can't be found their website...). Or, you could opt some more classic styles from Tom Ford and Brunello Cucinelli. Still, in our eyes, Williams’ clothing choices are a pretty big smoke signal – expect the fire to follow shortly.
