Pharrell Is The Future Of Fashion And The Future Of Looking Creative AF

Bad World is an occasional column by Toni Thai Sterrett, a filmmaker, futurist, and founder focused on the intersection of fashion and technology.

Welcome to Bad World, where we embrace the future of fashion in all its elements. Right now, the talk around sustainability is the loudest. We can talk about a more sustainable world without sacrificing individuality, style and fun. We only talk about it in a real, authentic way.

Now let’s dive into something I love: Pharrell Williams’ 2023 appointment as the new Creative Director at Louis Vuitton and the debut collection for the brand’s Spring/Men’s 2024 collection. But before I dig any deeper, I’m pulled back to the excitement in the air when Louis Vuitton released its first NFTA soul bound tokensmeaning it cannot be traded or sold in early June 2023.

This Louis Vuitton drop is particularly interesting for many reasons. One, we talked a lot about NFTs making it easy for brands to have loyalty programs for their customers, ala Starbucks And Nike. But soul-bound tokens make it a two-way street, introducing a kind of reciprocal brand loyalty.

the community. It’s an exchange. By showing brand loyalty, they will reward you with many rewards for your trust in LV’s beautiful movement. And secondly, everyone says NFT is dead, but it’s clearly not and the excitement among fashionistas is palpable.

Last year, Pharrell Williams was named Chief Brand Officer NFT project doodles. And in April 2023, Doodle released the Pharrell Package, which gives NFT holders access to digital wearables customized by Williams and its brands. This is a move to create a world that values ​​community engagement while bridging IP and social identity through the limited edition release of 300 limited edition digital wearable packs.

Williams’ foray into the NFT space definitely places her in the future of fashion. I’d even say, Pharrell Williams is the future of fashion. Quoting me but don’t debate me. I have a receipt, hold on tight.

When the Valentine’s Day 2023 news dropped Williams’ appointment as Louis Vuitton’s new Creative Director, succeeding the great Virgil Abloh, who died in November 2021, there was plenty of applause amid roars of hate.

There were some screams and groans from people who felt the job would be a better fit for the more established designer, coupled with laments about her having no formal fashion education. But neither was Abloh, whose vision and work was widely praised.

At Louis Vuiton (and his own Off-White brand), Abloh is redefining streetwear and ushering in a new era of menswear that is boundary-pushing and exciting. Abloh has degrees in Civil Engineering and Architecture which he earned when Pharrell made us dance.

Williams’ education was informal, coming from the likes of Nigo, the Japanese fashion designer who is best known as the creator of the urban clothing line, A Bathing Ape. Nigo is currently the creative director for Kenzo, with whom Williams launched the wildly successful Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream brands. For many, menswear has never appealed so much to the public; now the show gets as much press and attention as the female shows.

Art and all forms of creativity collide, and we are better off for it. Williams, like Abloh, helped redefine masculine expression, pushing gender boundaries and norms and enabling men to be more expressive in their style choices. It’s hard to argue against the fact that the qualifications to become a Creative Director are simply that you are knowledgeable, open, and creative. FROM. Williams has proven that his creativity knows no bounds.

Williams often talks about how much he learned from Karl Lagerfeld, as well as Palm Angels’ Francesco Ragazzi and Colette founder Sarah Andelman. He boasts a longstanding relationship with Adidas on the design side, and a number of successful collaborations with luxury labels such as Chanel, Moncler, Tiffanys, and Moynat. And let’s not forget her first collab with Louis Vuitton thanks to Marc Jacobs, back in 2004. Here’s a receipt, folks.

And speaking of Jacobs, she made her own interesting entry into the future of fashion conversation during her Fall 2023 runway show at the New York Public Library, where she rocked 29 looks in no more than three minutes. He seems to be embracing AI technology by having his show notes written entirely by ChatGPT.

In a subtle statement about sustainability, Jacobs presents a collection of timeless and tailored suits for women, primarily in black and white. The collection evokes many eras of fashion while being versatile and elegant; a statement piece that one can have in their wardrobe for years to come. This is, given the growing talk around owning less and fashion being less extravagant and more environmentally friendly.

We can’t talk about sustainability and not highlight the fact that Williams had it in mind years ago. Sustainability was the focus of her 2017 collaboration with G-Star Raw, when they released a collection that recycles plastic into denim, which reduces waste and reduces fashion’s negative impact on the environment.

Now seeing the debut for Louis Vutton’s Fall/Winter 2024 collection, Williams’ point of view is clear. It feels basic with a very apt nod to hip-hop culture, which is appropriate considering this year marks the art form’s 50th anniversary.

The Yankees-inspired colorway for his jacket is a nod to NYC street style, and perhaps also to his longtime friend and collaborator Jay-Z, who closed shows and is famously known for always wearing a Yankees hat. It’s classy and classic with a hint of streetclean and tapered, and the collection seems to remember all Louis Vuitton customers and fans while remaining consistent. That can’t be an easy feat.

The choir and orchestra that enhanced the epic vibe of Williams’ debut Louis Vuitton show can also be considered a nod to designer and Pyer Moss founder Kerby Jean-Raymond, whose legacy, some note, obliterated by Piece.

But at the peak of Jean-Raymond’s popularity, when he was the darling of the fashion industry, models marched to the sound of a 90-member choir called The Pyer Moss Tabernacle Drip Choir Drenched in the Blood, as they sang a beautiful song. a musical medley of gospel, soul, hip-hop, and R&B for the keen cultural watcher (OK, I).

That’s probably Williams’ way of saying, We’re still seeing you Kerby.

One of the inappropriate criticisms after the collection was cancelled was a pixelated print that Williams dubbed Damouflagei.e. The classic Damier LV print used to create camouflage-like prints was copied from Loewe’s latest collection. But in fact, Pharrells Billionaires Boys Club churned out pixelated, camouflage-inspired prints back in the day. Additionally, Louis Vuitton released a pixel collection in 2018 while Kim Jones was Creative Director.

Web3 loyalists wonder if the use of pixel prints is another nod to its pixelated-style NFT friends CryptoPunkan NFT project that, like Williams, also scored an a Tiffany’s landmark collaboration as part of a luxury brand moving into the future.

This nod could be wishful thinking, but Web3-original fashion brands like The Fabricant are still thriving moving forward with great confidence in the NFT space, inspired by the recent Web3 movement by big brands like Louis Vuitton, Nike, Lacosteand many others indicating that they too are optimistic about taking risks.

Last month, I spoke at a panel at NFC Lisbon entitled, Does digital mode require Web3? And I’d argue that it doesn’t at least not now, because we’re a long way from mass adoption.

It takes a lot of time and a lot of money to change consumer behavior, but brands that take advantage of these opportunities and embrace technology will be at the forefront of the future. As Williams, parent company Louis Vuitton LVMH, and even Marc Jacobs see, there is a paradigm shift that promises a future where fashion is sometimes accessible, ethically produceable, enjoyable, and digitally empowered with love.

In Williams’ debut for Louis Vuitton, he gave a nod to his hometown of Virginia Beach by turning LV into something of an acronym for LoVers, by following Virginia’s tagline of Virginia is for Lovers. Love never dies, so let’s stay bullish on love. RIP Virgil Abloh.