Pharrell talks Louis Vuitton debut: “Every day, I gotta pinch myself”

After being appointed Men’s Head Designer at Louis Vuitton, Pharrell will debut his first collection with the brand Tuesday, June 20, during Paris Fashion Week. Speaking to WWD, he shared he’s “touched” to be chosen for the role.

“Every day, I gotta pinch myself because it’s an appointment, and I was chosen,” he said. “Pietro [Beccari] saw something, and I’m touched by that and I honor that every day.”

The theme of Pharrell’s collection, per The New York Times, is lovers, and it will include printed leather jerseys and rugbys, Mao-neck blazers, quilted denim and an innovative spin on the Speedy bag.

“I want to give you that same experience that you get when you go to Canal Street, a place that has appropriated the house for decades, right?” he said. “Let’s reverse it. Let’s get inspired by the fact that they’ll make some colorways that the house has never made. But then let’s actually make it the finest of leather.”

As for his goals as a creative director, Pharrell hopes to expand the house’s brand ambassador program to include not only Black musicians and actors but Black people from other fields.

“They have to be supportive of the culture because the culture contributes to the bottom line,” he said, adding he’s had conversations with the brand “about how important the community is to them, and how being supportive to them is a natural and a prerequisite.”

“Over here, they lift us,” he noted. “They appreciate what we do. They see the talent that we have.”

Pharrell previously teased his collection with a billboard featuring a pregnant Rihanna. He said, “What I love about this is, it’s the biggest fashion house in the world, and that is a Black woman with child.”