Everything Pharrell would wear in Louis Vuitton's latest collection

"In this collection, there are my fetishes, the things I like," explained Pharrell regarding his new Pre Fall 2023 for Louis Vuitton Men. Set in Hong Kong on the shores of the South China Sea, the runway show attracted k-pop stars in the front row, and the artist's American fans tuned in from home on the maison's website. A mix of inspirations from different stories and cultures guided the artistic direction of the new looks, from the collegiate style we appreciated at the SS24 show on the Pont Neuf in Paris, his first collection for the brand, to marine details embroidered on jackets and accessories.

Here are 5 things to know about Pharrell's Pre Fall 2024 for Louis Vuitton Men.

A Stellar Location

As in the case of his first show for the maison, Pharrell chose a monumental location. Modeled after Hollywood's Walk of Fame, the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong is a waterfront location that celebrates Chinese cinema icons and attracts thousands of tourists daily due to its strategic positioning. Facing the skyline of Hong Kong, just a few meters from the sea, the show was part of a partnership with K11 Musea, part of the New World Development Co. Hong Kong's port project, which aims to make the island the new global destination for luxury shopping.

Luxury Urbanwear

Continuing the legacy cultivated over the years by Virgil Abloh, the former creative director of Louis Vuitton Men who passed away in 2021, Pharrell brought luxury urbanwear back to the runway. With voluminous silhouettes inspired by the typical distressed look of skaters, Louis Vuitton Men's new offerings project the laid-back style of 1990s New York into an environment of extreme luxury. In total black or shades of taupe gray, the new LVers sneakers go unnoticed alongside multicolored loafers but maintain the same attitude as always.

Barbed Monogram

It was expected that Pharrell would pay homage to the host country in his new collection. Indeed, patterns on shirts, jackets, and dandy suits proposed artistic fusions between LV tailoring and the centuries-old tradition of Chinese embroidery. Accessories revealed a new monogram, all-American style, on a denim background. Pharrell's new Speedy featured the maison's figures intertwined with a metal fence, also reflected on a denim suit and a leather shoulder strap. Returning to American culture in his designs, the creative director found a new element to convey his passion for street style.

Hawaii Passion

The show was a journey across different continents. Starting in Hong Kong, Pharrell took Louis Vuitton around the world. He returned to France with typical Parisian berets, black and embroidered with the brand's name, arrived in America with collegiate bomber jackets, and then plunged into nature with thermal jackets, diving suits, boots, and hiking backpacks. A common thread of the collection, glimpsed in recent seasons and gaining ground in the fashion trends of 2024, is the Hawaiian print, unexpectedly making its way onto tote bags, shirt sets, shorts, bucket bags, suitcases, and even sequins. Alongside them were charms and leather appliqués embodying the natural elements of the islands, from turtles to starfish.

A monogrammed Ship

Sailing the waves crashing along the waterfront of the Avenue of Stars, a junk, a millennia-old ship of China and the Far East so named because it is built of reeds, joined Louis Vuitton's show in grand style. It wasn't just any ship but one with sails dyed in electric blue, the same color as the lights that covered the fashion show runway, and monogrammed with the historic LV. The junk perfectly embodied the artistic direction of Pharrell's new collection, the union of history and modernity, the grandeur of China and the liveliness of the United States, the dandy style of a man in a suit and the carefree spirit of a boy getting ready to face the sea in a surf suit.