BIG BANG THEORY

Pharrell Williams Is A 21st-Century Renaissance Man Who Effortlessly Straddles Multiple Creative Fields. Fresh Off His Louis Vuitton Menswear Debut, The Polymath Talks Legacy, Light And Lvers.

- JEFFREY YAN

It seemed like an impossible task. The biggest luxury fashion brand in the world, whose menswear division for the past few years has been a cultural hotrod when it was spearheaded by Virgil Abloh, the visionary disruptor, needed someone new in the driver’s seat. In his time there, Abloh broke down countless barriers and redefined what luxury looked like, along the way making space for people who’ve never been given a seat at the table. How do you fill shoes as gargantuan as that? The position of men’s creative director was left vacant for almost two years after Abloh’s passing while the House considered names from every corner of the industry. In the end, and in the spirit of Abloh, the brand went with a leftfield choice in Pharrell Williams, the multi-hyphenate best known for his music, but who has also left an indelible mark in different domains of design, from Adidas all the way to Chanel.

When Williams’ appointment was announced this past February, it sparked off an intense debate about traditional training vs. cultural credentials. The designer silenced naysayers with a spectacular debut in June that was part fashion show and part pop culture Event (yes, with a capital E)—attended by the likes of Rihanna (who is also the face of Williams’ debut Louis Vuitton campaign) and A$AP Rocky, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, along with a roll call of some of the biggest movers and shakers of our time. Shown on the iconic Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris, Williams’ first collection for the House remixed long-established signatures such as the Damier check— given a pixelated, camouflage makeover—and the Speedy bag, turned out in pop brights and every size imaginable. Here in this exclusive Q&A, the designer and musician tells us about his vision for Vuitton, and the Black legacy he inherited and is now carrying forward.