On February 14th, 2023, overshadowing Valentine’s Day – but still revolving around capitalist consumption – Louis Vuitton announced the appointment of Pharrell Williams at the helm of Louis Vuitton Menswear. It did so slightly more than a year after the sudden death of Virgil Abloh, its previous designer.
Unsurprisingly, and like many disruptive events in the fashion industry, the news was met with mixed reception. Some praised the appointment of such a cultural icon at the artistic direction of an aspirational brand like Vuitton. Some criticized the progressive disconnection from hard luxury that the house is engineering: already with Abloh, Louis Vuitton expressed a strong message, rather than a couture house, Vuitton is an exploratory studio of multimedia creation.
It thrives on proposing new ideas, original designs, and unsettling crossovers, a recipe which made Abloh, an outsider trained in architecture, a successful figure. If the leap seemed total with Abloh, it was rather a natural progression for Louis Vuitton’s brand positioning. As a reminder, Louis Vuitton was originally not a fashion house but a luggage and trunk-maker. The son and grandson of the founder developed the handbags flocked with the signature monogram we all know, and which is probably one of the most famous luxury brand identifiers globally.
Only in 1997, did the house start ready-to-wear with the appointment of Marc Jacobs as its first creative director. In 2013, as Jacobs decided to focus on his namesake brand, Nicolas Ghesquiere was appointed artistic director. Given his success, Vuitton appointed Abloh as the creative director for menswear. Pharrell Williams is definitely a step further, after all, Abloh’s Off-White label is probably its most successful venture. But it is still a logical choice nonetheless, Williams is a style icon, with experience in the fashion industry.
What is to be retained of this short timeline recap is that the history of Louis Vuitton is to be looked at from a different perspective: namely, the Maison’s focus on accessories and bags that have become the drivers of sales and trends globally. If the artistic collaborations came front and center with the 2001 Cole Sprouse collaboration (two suitcases sold for nearly $70k at the Christie’s auction of Andre Leon Talley’s estate the same week Williams was appointed), collaborations and creative cross-pollination was already dear to the Gaston-Louis Vuitton, grandson of the founder.
Breaking the boundaries between the different creative spheres has progressively been instilled in the DNA of the house: Takashi Murakami, Jeff Koons, Yayoi Kusama x2, Art Basel Paris & Miami. While it concerned mostly visual arts and design to promote the collections, for branding, and for marketing, the increasingly experiential and multi-sensorial experience of luxury means that fashion has become even more multi-hyphenate crossing into music, live performances, architecture, animation and even culinary arts.
Which started the other is a legitimate question: has the increasingly astute marketing and distribution strategies created the need for the intersection of multiple creative fields or has the experimentations of these intersections proved so successful that if evolved into a full-fledged business vertical? Probably a bit of both. But what is certain is that it works, and it works well. LVMH, which does not break group results by Maison, had stellar a stellar fiscal year 2022 and said during its earnings call that it was confident for 2023.
Aware of itself, the Louis Vuitton PR announcing the appointment of Pharrell Williams leaves no space for ambiguity: “The way in which he breaks boundaries across the various worlds he explores aligns with Louis Vuittonโs status as a Cultural Maison, reinforcing its values of innovation, pioneer spirit and entrepreneurship.”, claims the house. “Cultural Maison”, not fashion house, not luggage-maker, Louis Vuitton is creating a sense of community based on cultural significance. More than a brand, it is a curator of culture.
By the way, Pietro Beccari, newly appointed Chairman and CEO of the house as Delphine Arnault took over at Dior, did not forget to remind the public of previous collaborations between the house and the artist: in 2004 and 2008. Beccari declared he was happy to “welcome Pharrell back home” and stressed his “creative vision beyond fashion“. Louis Vuitton is not only in the business of luxury fashion, but in the commerce of creative strategies. Don’t ask it to be what it has never been, and don’t be surprised if it leans into its identity.
mabou 