Pharrell’s gambit
The most anticipated show in the entire men’s fashion week in Paris happened a week ago, and Pharrell Williams was at the center of it all, the man of the moment who brought fashion, music, pop culture, media and more all together to witness and experience a collection that focused on “love.”
In an interview with French Vogue, Pharrell explained his concept for this debut collection. “Love. And the practical dimension. For me, ‘practical’ is synonymous with ‘luxury.’ This collection is interested in the practicality of design, and the design of practicality.”
Pharrell emphasized that love was at the heart of this collection and this writer, who was in the audience that night, truly felt it. Every detail that led to the show and every aspect of this historical global event radiated it.
We were asked to board a boat from a meeting point across Musée d’Orsay to an undisclosed location. Felt like Noah’s ark, as we were on a barge filled with fashion peeps—legendary editors, young influencers, craftsmen and artists. The energy was palpable. As the sun began to set, the guy beside me told me humbly that it was such an honor to see me wearing the silk shirt that he produced for Louis Vuitton. For me, it was humbling to be surrounded by the hands, the heart and the soul of the brand. In the LV multiverse, from the buckle of a belt to the lock of a trunk, every detail is the work of a master craftsman who knows exactly how to do it. I knew that today was going to be extra-special.
Back to his roots
Pharrell gives me the impression of a monk—Zen in his aura and infinite in wisdom.
“When you are given a mission like the one Louis Vuitton gave me, you inevitably tell yourself that the sun is shining on you, you are in full light. But you also wonder what you are going to do with this light. As for me, I just wanted to give back to all the people who allowed me to find myself where I am today.”
To find his inspiration for this collection, he went back to his roots, where he grew up.
“It's interesting because I went to a festival in Virginia called Something In The Water, and I remembered that the official slogan of Virginia, where I grew up, is ‘Virginia is For Lovers.’ I thought of this formula and I began to forget everything else around it, I just looked at this word, ‘lovers,’ in love. And I had a kind of revelation. I understood something very powerful through this word.”
Therefore, the photo wall for this launch held on the Pont Neuf bridge facing mega department store Samaritaine and the Louis Vuitton headquarters, a the giant “LVers” insignia on a backdrop of gold. And the bridge itself was painted in gold! I don’t know how that could be done in Paris because the next day when I went back for the collection re-see (when you see the entire collection up close), the bridge was back to normal, like nothing had happened the previous night. As if the biggest stars on the planet weren’t dancing to Pharrell and Jay-Z at the show’s after-party.
The guest list was the most star-studded this side of fashion week. A very pregnant Rihanna with A$AP Rocky, Beyoncé in giant LV visors with Jay-Z, a very radiant Zendaya, who was just beside me, and then Kim K just walked by to say hello to Naomi. Everybody was a super somebody.
Pharrell and his ‘damouflage’
And then the show started. Models walked in “damouflage” suits and embellished bombers and flaunted shiny new ideas to add to your treasure trove of LV stuff. “Damouflage” is Pharrell’s term for his pixelated, camouflage-inspired take on Louis Vuitton’s iconic Damier checkered print.
“I bring a vision,” he said. “It is very important for me: you have to be able to zoom in to the extreme then to zoom out to understand.”
It was apparent in how he played with existing shapes and LV’s iconic designs and added his own touch. My favorite piece from the collection was a checkered trench, which from afar just looked like that, but up close you could see it was embellished with beads and pearls. Also, the “damouflaged” trunks were brought in military vehicles, emphasizing its importance to the collection.
All these and more, from a jack-of-all-trades American celebrity who was criticized for not having studied fashion and design, who landed the job from a call on Valentine’s Day. “I didn't go to Saint Martins, but neither did I go to Juilliard to learn music. And I think you could say I got by without it. We black people are used to being told what we can do and what we can't do... It's like that everywhere, all the time.
“But we cannot dictate what will happen in the universe. We can work with Him, conspire against Him or collaborate, but we can never know what He has in store for us. Are you surprised to see me in this position? You know what, I'm as surprised as you are! But I prefer to show what I can do rather than explain myself.”