More than a year after the death of the genius Virgil Abloh, there is now a designated successor to the post of creative director of the Louis Vuitton men’s line.
Pharrell Williams: Always have fun glasses on hand. LVMH boss Bernard Arnault also seems impressed by him.AFP
According to a report in the French newspaper Le Figaro, the wait and the speculation are now over: Pharrell Williams is to succeed Virgil Abloh, who died in November 2021, as creative director of the Louis Vuitton men’s line. Williams, who most people in this country know as a singer, rapper and music producer, has been an entrepreneur in the fashion and beauty industry for many years. Shortly after his death, his ties to Louis Vuitton and his friendship with Virgil Abloh led to speculation that Williams might move up to the top job.
Designers Martine Rose and Grace Wales Bonner, as well as Chitose Abe from Sacai and Jonathan Anderson, creative director at Loewe, were also considered hot candidates. In January, KidSuper designer Colm Dillane presented a Louis Vuitton collection that he worked on with the in-house design team at Paris Fashion Week. The designs had a quality that could certainly tie in with Abloh’s work. Dillane had then become the number one topic in the rumor mill about Abloh’s successor. But now everything seems to be different – that was also officially confirmed by Louis Vuitton in the evening. Pharrell Williams will already present his first collection in June.
“I am delighted to welcome Pharrell as our new men’s creative director, having worked together in 2004 and 2008. His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton into a new and very exciting chapter,” said Pietro Beccari, Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton, in a statement.
