I wasn’t going to write about this but I saw some unhappy fashion people complaining about the news, and I thought maybe this is more controversial than I originally believed. The late Virgil Abloh was the creative director for Louis Vuitton for years. Abloh was beloved by celebrities and fashionistas, and he transformed the label into something much more accessible and aspirational for younger and racially diverse demographics. Abloh passed away in late 2021, and the house of Louis Vuitton waited a respectful amount of time before replacing him. This week, they announced Abloh’s replacement: Pharrell Williams.

The fashion and entertainment industries, which have long been intertwined, converged even further on Tuesday when Louis Vuitton named Pharrell Williams, the American rapper and producer, as its new creative director for men’s wear.

The French luxury brand announced on Instagram that it had hired Mr. Williams about 16 months after the sudden death of its previous men’s wear designer, Virgil Abloh, in 2021. Mr. Williams, the brand said in a statement, “is a visionary whose creative universes expand from music to art, and to fashion — establishing himself as a cultural global icon.”

Other names floated as successors to Mr. Abloh have included the British designers Grace Wales Bonner and Martine Rose, as well as the American designers Telfar Clemens and Colm Dillane, better known as KidSuper, who last month was announced as Louis Vuitton’s first ever men’s wear guest designer, a sign many took to mean that he had been tapped to follow Mr. Abloh.

But it was ultimately Mr. Williams, 49, who landed what is considered one of the most high-profile creative director roles in men’s fashion. His appointment was the first major move by Louis Vuitton’s new chief executive, Pietro Beccari, who joined the brand from Dior last month.

[From The NY Times]

The complaints I’ve seen from fashion-industry people range from “Pharrell isn’t a real designer/director” and “he doesn’t have enough of a background in design and fashion.” I mean… some of those complaints aren’t entirely wrong, in that Pharrell never went to fashion school and he doesn’t have experience helming a major fashion house. That being said, Pharrell does have a lot of design experience and fashion experience. He’s been a brand ambassador for labels like Chanel and Tiffany & Co, and he’s also worn and worked with LV for years. He’s designed for Adidas for years too. I think Pharrell is a bold choice, but also a choice which continues Abloh’s vision for LV. I also think a lot of European fashion people are mad about the fact that another American – and a Black American – will helm Louis Vuitton, an iconic French label.

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