LOUIS PHARRELL?!
I. REGIME CHANGE!
Rumor has it that Pharrell is set to become the new Menswear Designer of Louis Vuitton, following a successful run by the late Virgil Abloh.
Louis Vuitton by KidSuper
Recently, KidSuper, the unorthodox Brooklyn creative, guest designed for Louis Vuitton during Paris Fashion Week this year.
I personally enjoyed his designs very much and thought he would be a perfect candidate to take over the mantel.
Others in strong consideration included, Grace Wales Bonner and Martine Rose.
Martine Rose, was amongst the crowd favorite to take over at Louis Vuitton.
Martine Rose
Martine Rose, founder of her namesake label, which was established in 2007. Her menswear label found its footing in the late 2010s and have since collaborated with brands, such as Nike and Tommy Jeans.
As a designer by trade, Martine Rose, held the education credentials and the popularity, that would make her a front runner to take over as the menswear designer for Louis Vuitton.
So why Pharrell over everyone.
II.WHY PHARRELL OVER EVERYONE?
Pharrell, legendary producer and musician, has strong footprints in fashion. He his undoubtedly an influencer, even his sole existence helped Tyler The Creator find his footing, and he actually demonstrated success in fashion with Billionaire Boys Club/IceCream - co-founded with Japanese mogul NIGO®, CHANELPHARRELL - limited partnership w/ Chanel during Karl Lagerfeld’s run, and his ongoing Adidas Human Race partnership to say the least.
But we have to address the elephant in the room..
Louis Vuitton by Marc Jacobs x Pharrell x NIGO
Why Pharrell over “actual” designers? Is he actually ready to head a fashion house on his own? Will he rely too much on assistance from NIGO?
These are the questions that makes people doubt P’s capability to produce high quality collections, season after season.
Pharrell is no stranger to working with Louis Vuitton as he worked with the brand previously when Marc Jacobs held the reigns at the brand.
However it seems Louis Vuitton may be relying too heavy on star power and polarization than actual designing.
As much as we love Pharrell, I don’t think anyone actually saw this coming. I for one thought KidSuper had it in a bag. His designs felt like a direct sequel to the Virgil regime, keeping the similar aesthetics while still incorporating his distinct design features.
But if I learned anything, it’s don’t knock someone before they even get the chance to showcase their capabilities.
Where Pharrell lacks technically, I’m sure his passion and resourcefulness will overcome his weaknesses and allow him to produce collections true to him and profitable for the brand.
He would have to produce extremely horrible collections for this to be a failure because the power of LV’s heritage + P’s personal brand, whatever is made will be purchased regardless but whatever is made will be purchased regardless.
However, him and Louis Vuitton has to be ready for the automatic backlash/pre-conceived criticism that is sure to come to this partnership.
III. EMBRACING THE CHANGE
As much as we revere Virgil, his run at LV wasn’t met with rainbows and sunshine all the time either, the internet surely gave their (uncalled for) opinions and called him out multiple times,
Photo courtesy of TipSolver
Including when people were upset that the LV sneakers were nothing but AVIA sneakers with LV branding.
So, if this rumor holds true P definitely has an uphill battle against him but as one of our heroes in the culture,
We should root for his success no matter what and give him a chance first before launching the rocks of criticism at his face.
🖖🏾
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