The BoF Podcast | Pharrell Williams On His Vision for Louis Vuitton

Subscribe to the BoF Podcast here.

Background

Pharrell Williams has been part of the global cultural consciousness for the better part of two decades as a rapper, songwriter and music producer. But earlier this year, when he was named men’s creative director for Louis Vuitton, his career took on a whole new trajectory.

This week on The BoF Podcast, Williams joins BoF founder and editor-in-chief Imran Amed to discuss his new vision for luxury at Louis Vuitton as part of a BoF 500 cover story, examining his journey into the luxury industry, his vision for Louis Vuitton and how he is thinking about stepping into the shoes of his predecessor Virgil Abloh.

“He has giant shoes for one to try to fill. But that’s not what I’m here to do,” Williams told Amed on the podcast. “I’m not here to fill my brother’s shoes. My brother’s shoes are his shoes. And the steps that he took are his steps. And I would never want to get in the way of that.”

Key Insights

• Williams is approaching the design process from the point of view of a customer. “When I got here, I was so excited and I knew all the things that I wanted to do because I am the consumer,” he says. “I know what it is that I’m looking for so I design from the lenses of what it is that I’m going to need.”
• Williams has his eye on expanding the Louis Vuitton brand, not just in terms of sales volume, but also the brand’s core values and who it aligns itself with, hinting at forming new partnerships. “Growth is not just in sales growth, it’s also growth in perspective,” he says.
• At the core of Williams’ mission is to make Louis Vuitton menswear centred around people, both its customers and those who work for the brand. “The material items that we offer are important, and these are beautiful objects, but they are the result of something more valuable, which is the humans and their ideas that work here … that’s what you’re buying.”
• For those looking to find their own creative path , Williams’ advice is simple: “When you see a block, there’s a way around it…Curiosity is going to be the fuel to help you do that,” he explains. “And don’t look back. For what? You can see how far you come later.”

Additional Resources

• Pharrell Williams: The Future of Luxury Is ‘Freedom’. With his first Louis Vuitton men’s show behind him, BoF 500 cover star Pharrell Williams shares his long-term vision for the future of Louis Vuitton, and luxury itself, with BoF’s Imran Amed.
• Louis Vuitton’s CEO Answers Key Questions on Pharrell’s Debut. Pietro Beccari spoke to BoF editor-in-chief Imran Amed about why Vuitton decided to give the men’s creative directorship to a celebrity musician and not a traditional fashion designer; what Pharrell Williams actually does in the role; and how the CEO measured the success of Williams’ debut show.
• Pharrell at Louis Vuitton: When Fashion Became Entertainment. The creative polymath’s debut show on Paris’ Pont Neuf aimed to cement Louis Vuitton’s positioning as a purveyor not just of fashion, but culture writ large.
• Pharrell at Louis Vuitton: Has Luxury Outgrown Fashion? Reactions to the brand’s move to appoint a non-designer as men’s creative director were mixed. But cultural strategies that stretch beyond fashion may be increasingly important to brands at Vuitton’s scale.