LVERS BY THE BAY

PHARRELL WILLIAMS BRINGS THE STARS TO THE SHORE IN HIS DEBUT MEN PRE-FALL 2024 COLLECTION.

- KELLY LEWI

THERE WERE TIMES when I found it difficult to write about Louis Vuitton post-Virgil Abloh. Abloh broke down barriers that held up the luxury world for aeons, and introduced a revolutionary fashion movement that transcended tradition. It is an understatement to say he was a visionary like no other.

Abloh was culture and still is even after his passing.

For the two years following his absence, traces of his creativity were still present over each collection, a testament to his impact. However, that was as far as it could go: a ghost of a creative long fallen. The fashion industry neither waits nor stops, and the throne has been empty for a while. A new era awaited the house. Entered Pharrell Williams.

It caused quite the buzz when it was first announced. One could not help but inevitably pit him against his predecessor and friend, including myself. Pharrell himself is a pop culture sensation; he is a moment, but is he a Vuitton moment? His debut collection shut down any arguments against him. With the pixelated Damier (dubbed Damoflage) on double-breasted suit, trench coats in camouflage greens, and funky sunnies, Pharrell showed the world that he has both the class and the style.