Music, by no surprise, is fundamental to Pharrell-era Louis Vuitton.
For his first show (LV Men’s SS24), the American hitmaker enlisted Voices of Fire – a choir he formed alongside his uncle, Bishop Ezekiel Williams – to perform a euphoric, thankful gospel anthem titled ‘JOY (Unspeakable)’ to a crowd of A-listers and fashion industry-insiders on Paris’ Pont Neuf bridge.
At the following Paris Fashion Week Men’s, he resurrected ‘Doctor (Work it Out)’ – a glam pop track he originally produced for Miley Cyrus’ 2013 record Bangerz – in order to incorporate the Tennessee-born singer’s country tone into his cowboy-themed extravaganza.
In between, the high-fashion maison put on its first-ever Men’s Pre-Fall runway in Hong Kong – a moment soundtracked by ‘Airplane Tickets’. It’s a tropical, transportive track featuring California’s Swae Lee and Puerto Rica’s Rauw Alejandro that perfectly complements the travel-inspired collection.
To mark the first drop of the line, Vuitton has exclusively provided Esquire with the campaign video below filmed by Shanghai-based photographer, Leslie Zhang.
‘Airplane Tickets’ plays throughout.
You might also recognise the models from the show.
You’ve got professional skateboarder Carlisle Aikens at the forefront. He’s joined by Joey Lanham. The former donned a black leather double-breasted blazer on the runway; the latter sported a more contemporary co-ord fashioned in beige.
They’re also paired together in the campaign shoot. Again, this is the work of Zhang.
The collection, the show and the campaign all aim to demonstrate how one might bring a sense of serenity to city life.
“Clothes are energy-conveyers: a garment associated with the nature-centric, bohemian lifestyle of surfing has the power to create the energy of the beaches of Hawaii for a wearer in the urban environment of Hong Kong SAR,” states the Pre-Fall 24 show notes.
Exotic-print shirts, shorts and leather accessories pay homage to Kōichirō Miyamoto, the East-Asian tailor credited with pioneering the Aloha shirt; new wave hats, varsity jackets and sweatshirts nod to seafarers; and scuba tees, baggy trousers and braided bracelets explore the intersection between the free-spirited worlds of skateboarding and surfboarding.
There’s also lots of double denim – looks that foreshadow Pharrell-era LV’s next destination: the western frontier.
The question is: how will you get there?
We’re thinking, airplane tickets. But perhaps you’re better by board or boat.
The first drop of Pharrell Williams’ Louis Vuitton Pre-Fall 2024 collection lands this Thursday (25 April).