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Pharrell Williams’s debut Louis Vuitton men’s collection raised the bar for the brand, racking up more than one billion views across social platforms and driving some 1,750 guests to the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris for a star-studded show last summer. Now, as the collection hits stores, how well it sells will be put to the test.
Starting today, the full assortment of ready-to-wear, accessories, footwear and small leather goods are available in Louis Vuitton stores globally, with the Speedy Bandouliére bag, Damier denim jacket and jeans and Varsity jacket among the highlights. Prices start at $550 and run all the way to $1 million for the made-to-order Millionaire Speedy, which went viral last year.
Louis Vuitton will also launch a selection of pieces at stand-alone pop-ups in Paris’s Champs-Élysées, Dosan, South Korea and New York’s Soho district, as well as retailers including Harrods and Selfridges in the UK. It's part of a global push from the brand that presented its men’s pre-fall collection in Hong Kong last month, and marks its largest menswear activation to date.
The brand will take over Selfridges’s Corner Shop retail space, bringing an interpretation of the golden Pont Neuf bridge to Londoners and tourists alike, complete with the show’s soundtrack that includes the song ‘Joy’ featuring Williams and Voices of Fire, the choir assembled by the designer’s uncle Bishop Ezekiel Williams. The goal is to offer customers an opportunity to relive the show, according to the brand.
Louis Vuitton, like many powerful luxury houses, has been shifting its distribution strategy to drive majority sales via its own direct channels, which raises margins and increases control in comparison to traditional wholesale. This model also protects brands against weakening demand at a multi-brand retail level, amid inflationary pressures and in-season markdowns that can damage brand equity. Nonetheless, strategic retail partnerships are key to reaching new audiences.
Louis Vuitton CEO Pietro Beccari, who joined last January, faces the challenge of steering the LVMH-owned brand ahead of a more subdued economic backdrop. During the luxury boom that is now drawing to a close, the French maison surpassed Chanel in the Vogue Business Index summer 2023 edition’s financial ranking, as it became the world’s first luxury brand to exceed €20 billion in annual sales. (Chanel announced revenues of €16 billion during the same period.)
Selfridges’s Corner Shop has become a top choice for luxury and fashion brands, including Stella McCartney, Versace, Loewe, Rabanne and Jacquemus, which have all staged pop-ups in recent years. It offers high foot traffic as well as a blank canvas for brands to reflect their creative identity.
Selfridges’s director of menswear and womenswear Bosse Myhr is upbeat about the arrival. “Our customers have been looking forward to the collection since Pharrell’s appointment at Louis Vuitton, and that incredible debut show at Pont Neuf in Paris,” he tells Vogue Business. “Louis Vuitton Lovers [the collection and pop-up title] combines Louis Vuitton’s distinct world of craftsmanship, innovation and experience with Pharrell’s perspective on fashion and culture and his ability to connect with a broad demographic of communities.”
Myhr was drawn to the collection’s “considered mix of familiar house codes rethought through staples such as tailoring and outerwear”, in addition to its standout accessories and lifestyle collectibles. “We expect people looking to invest in specific pieces, as well as those who want to be immersed in Pharrell’s creative vision through the environment.”
During the holiday, the retail space was concealed with a yellow wall (in synergy with Selfridges’s signature Pantone 109 shade) plastered with the word “Lovers” — representing “a state of mind” that is “warmth, well-being and welcome-ness”, Louis Vuitton said. The brand will also take over each of Selfridges’s 16 store windows and ask onlookers “What Will You Do When The Sun Shines on You?” against a sunset backdrop.
Most attention will likely be paid to Louis Vuitton’s iconic Speedy bag, reinterpreted by Williams in a monogram leather and Damier Pop print, available at Selfridges. Williams, who took on the role last February, was spotted carrying a version at Paris Fashion Week over the summer. It went viral in November when the $1 million price tag was revealed, drawing some criticism for encouraging conspicuous consumption at a time when many shoppers are reining in expenditure; others were drawn to its exclusive nature, as the bag is available only via private order.
While menswear accounts for an estimated 5 to 15 per cent of sales at Louis Vuitton, according to analysts, it adds a halo effect on the rest of the business. Experts predict that Beccari, who previously held CEO roles at Fendi and Dior, will lean into Williams’s enthusiasm to strengthen the brand’s image, while expanding into new categories, just as he did at Dior.
Beccari has experience in raising the bar for luxury flagship stores and building top-tier retail experiences. During his tenure at Dior, the brand had a well-balanced product mix and less reliance on leather goods. He also oversaw the reopening of its historical flagship on Paris’s Avenue Montaigne and staged a men’s pre-fall show in front of the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Securing use of the Pont Neuf — in Paris, and now London — is another feat. “Two fashion generations will remember this moment,” he told Vogue Business at the show.
The theme of Lovers might imbue the warmth of summer, but many will already be looking forward to the AW24 season, and whether Williams — who will present his next collection for Louis Vuitton at Paris Fashion Week Men’s in January — can maintain the momentum of his blockbuster debut.
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