style codes of Pharrell Williams
how a hip-hopper conquered Parisian fashion.
When Louis Vuitton announced in February 2023 the appointment of Pharrell Williams as the creative director of its men's division, the industry reaction was mixed. With three decades in music behind him, Pharrell challenged conservative expectations and redefined the very role of a creative director.
Recently, he was awarded the André Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award — a prize previously received by Karl Lagerfeld, Vivienne Westwood, and Marc Jacobs. SCAD College recognized Pharrell's contributions to fashion, music, film, and culture, calling him "the man who carries forward André's flame."
his fashion background by the time of his appointment spoke for itself: long-time collaboration with chanel and personal friendship with karl lagerfeld, collaborations with adidas, tiffany & co. and, of course, with louis vuitton itself — in 2004, he, together with nigo, created the iconic millionaire glasses, re-released by virgil abloh 14 years later; in 2008, the joint jewelry line the blason appeared. and this is not to mention his own brand with a recognizable camouflage print billionaire boys club, created in collaboration with nigo.
his fashion background by the time of appointment spoke for itself: a long collaboration with chanel and a personal friendship with karl lagerfeld, collaborations with adidas, tiffany & co. and, of course, with louis vuitton itself — in 2004, together with nigo, he created the iconic millionaire glasses, re-released by virgil abloh 14 years later; in 2008, a joint jewelry line the blason appeared. and this is not to mention his own brand with the recognizable camouflage print billionaire boys club, created in co-authorship with nigo.
Pharrell's style, like his career, is a rich mix that cannot be attributed to one direction. Sometimes he still resembles that teenage skateboarder in baggy jeans and an oversized cap—like he stepped off the Motorola party in 2002. Only now the cap is even bigger, and with a funny print, for example, like Human Made. And sometimes he leans towards extravagance: recall his appearance at the 56th Grammy in a tight leather jacket from adidas and a massive hat by Vivienne Westwood from the 1983 archives. That's when hats replaced caps, becoming his trademark—just watch the "Happy" video. Nowadays, he uses hats to create western-style looks—an aesthetic he developed further in his debut collection for Louis Vuitton Fall-Winter 2024.
With his entry into high luxury, Pharrell's style becomes more restrained, but only relative to his earlier looks. He sold out a collection of large diamond pendants by Jacob & Co, almost never wears his favorite furs, and opts for less contrasting colors. But he hasn't abandoned the main point: his looks are built on eclecticism, combining different styles and cultures, Pharrell avoids the basics, loves prints and custom designs. Each of his looks is still a statement today.
he is not afraid to be first: a man in pearls, a hip-hopper in chanel, a DJ in louis vuitton. pharrell is a community person, so he's a fan of clothes that he creates himself and those made by his friends. We won't say the exact proportion, but judging by his appearances, his wardrobe today mainly consists of lv, bape, billionaire boys club, adidas and vintage.
pharrell always chooses original solutions, so let's imagine that for this shoot he opted not for louis vuitton, but for [katch] brand. by the way, the outfit he is wearing is indeed assembled from our drop.
style codes: jeans louis vuitton, t-shirt and bomber billionaire boys club, silk scarf louis vuitton on the hand or neck, glasses — vintage chanel, shoes — adidas sneakers.
