Will Pharrell's Louis Vuitton Be Virgil 2.0?
In the lead up to June 20, the much-awaited day when Pharrell will finally reveal his first Louis Vuitton menswear collection, I've been wondering: what should we expect from Pharrell's LV debut? Will he pick up where Louis Vuitton's previous artistic director, Virgil Abloh, let off?
We've already seen some clear indications of what Pharrell's got up his sleeve thus far, so let's break down what we know so far and see how close we got to the mark when Pharrell takes the runway.
But, first, yes, I know it's not entirely fair to compare Pharrell and Virgil. I already did that, kinda, but it's worth remembering that these are different dudes who took the Louis Vuitton gig at different points in their careers.
In fact, I think the best way to get an overview on Pharrell and Virgil's respective approaches to self-presentation is epitomized by each of their debut Louis Vuitton campaigns. This should also offer a tantalizing taste of what they each had in mind going into collection number one.
Virgil began his tenure at Louis Vuitton with imagery of a Black baby tinkering with LV accessories, leading up to a Wizard of Oz-themed menswear collection, complete with Yellow Brick Road.
The meaning was immediately obvious: Virgil was a stranger in a strange land, Dorothy exploring an unfamiliar but wonderful world. This lead to the powerful Spring/Summer 2019 collection that was informed by references to the film, made tangible by fantastical clothes that preluded Abloh's whimsical later collections.
Pharrell's first Louis Vuitton campaign, meanwhile, was a headline-storming tour de force starring a visibly pregnant Rihanna.
The campaign is remarkable for several reasons — as far as I know, this is the first time that a woman has starred in a Louis Vuitton menswear campaign — and I believe that it reflects key elements of Pharrell's Louis Vuitton that'll become obvious in due time.
But, before that, let's break down the campaign itself.
Rihanna is lensed mid-stride, coffee in hand, as she presumably begins her day the way we all do: clutching no less than four monogram-drenched Louis Vuitton handbags with our leather jacket unbuttoned over our stomachs. Can't just be me and Rihanna, right?
The bags are telling, right away. These are classic Louis Vuitton styles — Keepalls, Trunks — realized in brilliant tonal shades similar to some of the stuff that Pharrell's created with adidas.
Time and time again, Pharrell's adidas partnership has utilized collaborative sneakers and athleisure apparel as plain, graphic canvases for bold, no-nonsense color, as if Pharrell is Agnes Martin in Sambas.
Throughout his career, Pharrell has gravitated to vibrant single tones — it's just that now, he's swapped the Billionaire Boys Club astronaut logo for the Louis Vuitton.
Also, note Rihanna's jacket: it's printed with a digitized pattern that evokes both the camouflage typical of Pharrell's BBC brand and Louis Vuitton's distinctive Damier canvas.
Recognizable house codes, made poppy with a dash of celebrity. Hmm. I daresay that's Pharrell's Louis Vuitton in a nutshell.
It's a bet I feel comfortable making, even without seeing his first collection. After all, Pharrell tends to lean on his established design cues, building and evolving his own personal codes, and he's made a career out of bringing his friends along for the ride — his recent auction is predicated entirely upon this.
Returning to my above question, will Pharrell's Louis Vuitton be Virgil Abloh 2.0? No and yes.
On one hand, because Virgil was an initially-unproven designer who demonstrating and developing his innate skillset during his time at Louis Vuitton to eventually shape the world's biggest luxury label into the world's coolest luxury label.
Pharrell is coming in while Louis Vuitton is already on top of its game, however, and he brings with him the familiarity that comes with being a household name and the assured hand of someone who's been reliably successful for the past two-and-a-half decades.
On the other hand, both Pharrell and Virgil are well-connected and inarguably talented at keeping ahead of the cultural curve. Their ideas need only to be platformed to take off and lead the pack, as we saw with Pharrell's Billionaire Boys Club in the aughts and Virgil's Off-White™ in the 2010s.
Akin to Virgil's time at Louis Vuitton, Pharrell's tenure will likely deliver pop-culture savvy, exuberant runway spectacles, and commercially successful accessories. Maybe some of the actual product released by Pharrell's Louis Vuitton will resemble some of Virgil's Louis Vuitton products. Maybe not.
I mean, there's only so many ways to remake the LV Trunk. Prove me wrong!
Though I do not think that Pharrell will merely retread Virgil Abloh's ground at Louis Vuitton, I will be shocked if there weren't at least some throughlines.
It'll make slow going for Pharrell's Louis Vuitton, at first. That's normal: every designer is inevitably compared to the one they're replacing. But as they find their footing, each one's distinct voice becomes clearer.
And, on that note, though I'm more than happy to speculate about the possibilities of Pharrell's LV menswear offering (as you can tell), I feel most certain about one thing: it won't take long at all for Pharrell to make Louis Vuitton menswear all his own.
