DISCUSSION
Should Pharrell Williams be the one to guide Louis Vuitton’s men’s business?
Written by Tom Ryan
Pharrell Williams performing at the Glastonbury Festival, June 2015 – Photo: Getty Images/DFPPhotographic
In a win for hype over design experience, Louis Vuitton last week placed 13-time Grammy-award winner Pharrell Williams in charge of its menswear line.
The American rapper and music producer has no design training but is known for his influence on streetwear and sneaker culture, having co-founded the streetwear label Billionaire Boys Club and collaborated with Nike, Adidas, Chanel and others.
Celebrity creative collaborations with Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé and Ye (formerly Kanye West) are among those that have faltered, but Williams’ appointment reflects the continuing intermingling of fashion and entertainment. The success of runways is increasingly defined by their ability to go viral.
Mr. Williams is also expected to build on Vuitton's positioning as a "cultural" brand elevated by his late predecessor, Virgil Abloh, whom WWD said is “widely credited with redefining the role of creative director into something closer to a curator.”
Traditionalists saw Mr. Williams’ hiring as another sign of fashion’s increasing infatuation with celebrity.
“The shift has taken a bit of the magic out of fashion,” wrote Robin Givhan, senior critic-at-large for The Washington Post. “It has removed any pretense of intimacy and limited personal expression. It’s all about product and messaging.”
“Don’t get me wrong — Pharrell’s definitely creative,” Cozette McCreery, a fashion consultant and mentor for many emerging brands, told the Financial Times. “He will have the best team and I’ve no doubt that the collections will sell. I just personally find it a shame that pop celebrity is what gets you the job, not years of learning within colleges or on the job.”
Speaking to Vogue Business, menswear consultant and designer Joseph Keefer said he suspects the appointment will help make Louis Vuitton “loud, exciting and talked about” but also shared concerns around nurturing up-and-coming design talent.
He said, “It seems like we're going to continue to lose the weight of that role as fashion designer; creative directors will continue to become more of a marketing role in certain houses, it feels. While that is a shame and a hard pill to swallow, it’s the evolution of the business.”
- Louis Vuitton appoints Pharrell Williams as its new Men’s Creative Director – LVMH
- Pharrell Williams Is Louis Vuitton’s Next Men’s Designer – The New York Times
- Louis Vuitton Names Pharrell Williams Men’s Creative Director – WWD
- Pharrell Williams, the future of fashion? – Financial Times
- Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams and the loss of fashion magic – The Washington Post
- Pharrell at Vuitton: Has fashion gone full hype? – Vogue Business
- Louis Vuitton Names Pharrell Williams Menswear Designer – Bloomberg