The Best Shows Of Paris Men’s Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2024

For his debut collection as men’s creative director for Louis Vuitton, Pharrell decided to create a collection that could be pulled from his own wardrobe. If you’ve studied Pharrell’s looks over the years, the silhouettes and cuts on the runway look familiar, incorporating Pharrell’s penchant for streetwear, glitz, skate and tailoring. There’s a red varsity jacket he wore in the early 2000s with the PA emblem standing for Princess Anne, the Virginia Beach high school where he attended. She redesigned it for Louis Vuitton by embellishing it with rhinestones and adding a Louis Vuitton script logo. There are fur coats reminiscent of the Roberto Cavalli furs that Pharrell often wore in 2004. There are collarless jackets made of denim or tweed with pearl trim that are inspired by the Chanel jackets that the Pharrells wore. And there’s the camouflage print he loved for years, now revised as Damoflage, which combines camouflage with the Damier Louis Vuitton pattern. Prints feature on denim, knits, fur, and tailoring. He has lots of ideas, but he leverages through the lines to make his collection feel cohesive. And while the assortment is self-referential, it doesn’t read as Pharrell’s cosplay or overly nostalgic.

The clothes are solid and sell, but the design innovation from Pharrell is most visible with the accessories. Pharrell said the Speedy handbag should embody the Canal Street spirit. She makes them in bold colors like cobalt, kelly green, yellow, and cherry red using supple, foldable leather instead of the stiff canvas LV usually uses for its handbags. They feel new but at the same time vintage and will sell well (Tyler the Creator already brought the red style to the show). He also manufactures Louis Vuitton cases in glossy copper and Damoflage prints, presenting them on the runway like a prized cargo model that rides them in a golf cart. Pharrell added colors like red, green, and yellow to his classic Damier print bag, which is usually brown and cream. And the sunglasses are eye-catching, including a pair mounted on a gold head clasp with mother-of-pearl accents. Pharrell puts on an entertaining show and presents a collection that is a true reflection of who he is. Aria Hughes