Pharrell Williams succeeds Virgil Abloh as Louis Vuitton menswear inventive director

It marks solely the second time a Black American designer has held a head place on the French luxurious home. Abloh made historical past as the primary when he was appointed in March 2018.

A longtime supporter and pal of Abloh, Williams’ appointment places an finish to months of hypothesis about who subsequent would tackle the extremely coveted position.

“Louis Vuitton is delighted to welcome Pharrell Williams as its new Males’s Inventive Director. His first assortment for Louis Vuitton might be revealed subsequent June throughout Males’s Style Week in Paris,” the model wrote on Instagram and in a press launch, confirming the information.

Continued the assertion, “Pharrell Williams is a visionary whose inventive universes broaden from music to artwork, and to vogue – establishing himself as a cultural international icon over the previous twenty years. The best way during which he breaks boundaries throughout the varied worlds he explores, aligns with Louis Vuitton’s standing as a Cultural Maison, reinforcing its values of innovation, pioneer spirit, and entrepreneurship.”

Virgil Abloh, the previous inventive director of Louis Vuitton menswear died in November 2021 after a non-public battle with cardiac angiosarcoma, a uncommon and aggressive most cancers. He was 41 years outdated.

Williams, who isn’t any stranger to the style business launched his personal streetwear line, Billionaire Boys Membership, in 2003 and has collaborated with an array of manufacturers together with Adidas, Chanel and Tiffany & Co.

Fittingly, he teamed up with Louis Vuitton within the early aughts, collaborating with then-designer Marc Jacobs on two equipment traces.