While the term multi-hyphenate is thrown around rather loosely in the world of fashion, there are few as earning of such a title as Pharrell Williams. The artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear has creative excellence seeping out his pours. His approach is boundless. Be it fashion, music, beauty or exhibition curation, he tackles each project with a refined eye. Now, he has added home design to his index of endeavours. On the grounds of Fondation Louis Vuitton, he plonked a giant wooden freight crate. Once guests were inside, they were greeted by ‘Drophouse’. The modern house, made in collaboration with architectural firm Not A Hotel, came with wooden walls and plush furnishings designed by Pharrell, surrounded by an idyllic garden with its scent enhanced by the house’s master perfumer, Jacques Cavallier Belletrud.
Pharrell called it “a timeless space for future living” and set out to create a wardrobe to match – where clothes “endure rather than expire”. What will make sure this collection stands the test of time, you ask? The designer was intent on redefining futuristic dressing “as something essential as opposed to abstract”. Don’t expect jumpers with screens that produce AI slop, or tuxedos that give you the ability to fly. Instead, Pharrell proposed a series of superb pieces where savoir-faire was never sacrificed for functionality, and vice versa.
Here, utility informed even the most luxurious of pieces. This could be seen in how looks were styled: handsome suit jackets paired with gorpcore waterproof combats, for instance. But the magic truly lies in the actual garment construction. Tailoring, cut from traditional houndstooth and herringbones, were woven with reflective technical yarns. Elsewhere, coats and shirts could be bent and sculpted to the wearer’s desired fit thanks to aluminium wiring being threaded through their interiors.
The technical wizardry didn’t stop there. Shell jackets were thermo-adaptive, while hand-embroidered crystal embellishment gave the appearance that shirts and coats were sprinkled with rain droplets. Pharrell built on his silhouettes of seasons past, like slim trousers that kick out into a flared hem and cropped bombers. Accessories had a retro-futuristic look to them – where bags were shaped like telephones and boomboxes, or the likes of the P9 Speedy, here equipped with a glow-in-the-dark version of the LV monogram. In Pharrell’s hands, the look of tomorrow is shaped by elegant innovation.
Photography courtesy of Louis Vuitton
