Pharrell Williams named creative director for Louis Vuitton menswear

Louis Vuitton has chosen Pharrell Williams as its new creative director for menswear. The musician’s first collection will be revealed in June during Paris’ Men’s Fashion Week, the French luxury fashion brand said in a statement. 

Williams, a 13-time GRAMMY winner and 39-time nominee, also founded and designs for fashion brands Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream apparel, as well as other brands. His music has also earned him Academy Award and Emmy nominations. 

In addition to producing music, he also produces for film and TV and earned a best picture nomination at the 2016 Academy Awards for “Hidden Figures,” which he co produced. 

He is also involved in several other business ventures, including restaurants, a hotel and Humanrace, a company that sells wellbeing products like skincare. 

“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,” Louis Vuitton said in a media release. “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.”

Williams collaborated with Louis Vuitton in 2004 and 2008. 

He succeeds Virgil Abloh, who in 2018 became the first Black man to serve as artistic director at Louis Vuitton. Abloh, who also founded his own fashion label, Off-White, died in 2021 following a private fight with cancer. He was 41. 

Williams has just two posts on Instagram – his most recent post announces his new role as creative director at Louis Vuitton. His only other post shows him standing in front of a statue honoring Abloh. 

Caitlin O’Kane

Caitlin O’Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.