From BBC to LV: A History of Pharrell's Fashion Projects

Back in February, Pharrell was announced as Louis Vuitton’s new men’s creative director, filling the role that has been left vacant for the past two years following the passing of Virgil Abloh.

“Pharrell Williams is a visionary whose creative universes expand from music to art, and to fashion – establishing himself as a cultural global icon over the past twenty years,” read the brand’s official announcement. “The way in which he breaks boundaries across the various worlds he explores, aligns with Louis Vuitton’s status as a Cultural Maison, reinforcing its values of innovation, pioneer spirit, and entrepreneurship.”

Pharrell’s debut collection for Louis Vuitton is set to take place on June 20 during Paris Fashion Week Men’s. 

Many people expected Louis Vuitton to usher in its new era of menswear with a rising designer like Martine Rose or Grace Wales Bonner. LVMH going in the direction of a more established celebrity with no formal design training came as a surprise to some. But that isn’t to say that Pharrell doesn’t have a resume in fashion worthy of the position. He knows what it takes to present a distinct vision for a brand. He did it with his own Billionaire Boys Club. He also knows how to create memorable pieces for established luxury houses. Just look at what he created for LV back in the 2000s or what he was able to do with his historic Chanel collaboration in 2019. And aside from official projects, he’s been curating cool for decades. 

With Pharrell's debut runway show with Louis Vuitton just days away, let’s take a look at some of the moments that led up to this point. Take a look at Pharrell’s history within fashion below.

Year(s): 2006

Of course Pharrell has his own Bape collaboration. When tracing Bape’s popularity outside of Japan, many point towards Pharrell as being one of the label’s largest ambassadors in America throughout the aughts. But he hasn’t worked with the iconic Japanese streetwear brand as often as you may have thought. Skateboard P linked up with his good pal NIGO in December 2006 to create three colorways of Bape’s Road Sta sneakers. Each donned its own colorful mix of metallic leather and was completed with a Baby Milo-ified Pharrell head stitched on each heel. Pharrell’s second and final official Bape project came in 2013. He designed a T-shirt to celebrate the brand’s 20^th anniversary just a few months before NIGO officially announced that he had cut ties with the brand.

Year(s): 2010-Present

One of Pharrell’s most consistent luxury collaborators has been Moncler. The two first linked up in 2010 to release a down jacket and reversible vest covered in a print by Japanese artist Keita Sugiura constructed of recyclable Bionic yarn. In 2013, they released a trio of eyewear styles and new colorways of the pieces featured in his debut project. Last year, he was one of seven designers tapped by the Italian label to create his interpretation of the brand’s signature Maya puffer jacket, dubbed the Maya 70, to help celebrate its 70^th anniversary. It featured a rubberized black body covered with tonal Moncler logos and retailed for $10,645. Both parties will also be debuting their latest project on Feb. 20 in London. 

“It was just an amazing vibe, a brand just being so open to collaborations at a time when those types of collaborations were few and far between,” Pharrell told Complex back in 2022 when reflecting on his first collaboration with Moncler. “Now, it happens every day, but they really jumped out there and it was an eye opener to the industry. For things to come full circle and for them to want me to come and do something else was just an honor.”

Year(s): 2014-present

In 2014, Pharrell kicked off his collaborative partnership with the well-known denim brand with a project centered on sustainable denim made of thread composed of recycled bottles. He became the brand’s “head of imagination” and was announced as co-owner in February 2016. In November 2016, he debuted a collection of 25 pairs of Elwood jeans to celebrate the style’s 20^th anniversary at ComplexCon that included unique interpretations covered in loud patterns like tartan plaid and camouflage. The lineup received a global launch in February 2017.

“G-Star is an independently minded and forward thinking company,” said Pharrell upon being announced as co-owner in 2016. “I believe they will be the definitive jeans brand of the 21^st century. I am looking forward to being part of that mission and to co-create G-Star’s future.”

It is unclear if he still holds this position.

Year(s): TBD

While Pharrell’s collaboration with Tiffany and Co. has yet to officially hit retailers, we have seen Pharrell wearing the hero piece from the project since January 2022. He debuted them attending NIGO’s debut show for Kenzo during Paris Fashion Week. “Tiffany and I are engaged,” he told WWD at the event, hinting at other future collaborations.

Upon their reveal, some were quick to call out their resemblance to a pair of antique Mughal glasses from the 17^th century. The unconventional sunglasses feature tear drop-shaped lenses bordered by 61 round brilliant diamonds, emeralds, and gold wire frames. Between these and the aforementioned Millionaires, it’s clear that Pharrell knows how to make a good pair of shades.

Year(s): 2023-???

All of these memorable collaborations bring us to the present day. Pharrell now gets to bring his years of curation and knowledge to Louis Vuitton Men’s. We're still awaiting his first collection, set to be unveiled in just days, but we have gotten a glimpse at Pharrell's vision over the past few months. A staple in his wardrobe has been a a brown Perfecto jacket covered in LV monogram with a studded graphic on the back that spells out "Pupil King." During his headlining set at Something in the Water back in April he debuted a white and lime green racing jacket covered in crystallized logos. While it was confirmed to Complex that neither design will be part of the debut collection, it does give us an idea of the direction that Pharrell is going to take the historic fashion house during his tenure. 

While not designed by Pharrell, a capsule of Virginia-inspired merch by Louis Vuitton was also released at Something in the Water, a testament to Pharrell's ability to bring LV activations to places the French fashion house traditionally would not be. Louis Vuitton also erected a 30-feet high sand pyramid made up of 366 reimaginations of Malle-Haute trunks on the beach for the weekend.

More recently, we saw Pharrell reveal his first campaign for Louis Vuitton starring Rihanna on Instagram. She donned a leather jacket covered in a pixelated print and had monogram bags in various colors and styles slung over her arms. If you  took a closer look at the comments section of the post you may have noticed an account simply titled "skateboard." At the time of writing this, Pharrell is the page's only follower and it has no posts, just a bio that reads "a team based in paris." A Louis Vuitton skate team perhaps? Hopefully, we will know soon. 

Despite his years of occupying best-dressed lists and influencing hip-hop style as we know it today, we have never seen Pharrell in a formal creative director role such as this one. Son of LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault, Alexander Arnault, had this to say on Instagram at the time of Pharrell’s appointment.

“I can’t imagine anyone better to follow Virgil Abloh’s footsteps and can’t wait to see you write the future history of Louis Vuitton. I’m so excited to witness this next chapter, and nothing makes me happier than to welcome you Home to Louis Vuitton.”