Pharrell Williams has been named the new creative director of menswear for Louis Vuitton, taking over the role that Virgil Abloh held for three years before his death. The luxury brand confirmed the news, saying that Williams’ first collection will be shown at Men’s Fashion Week in Paris in June.
The job has been vacant since Abloh’s unexpected death at age 41 in November 2021. Abloh, who took on the role in 2018, did not reveal publicly that he had been privately living with cancer throughout much of his tenure with Louis Vuitton.
In a statement, Pietro Beccari, Louis Vuitton’s chairman and CEO, said that he was “glad to welcome Pharrell back home.” Williams previously worked with Louis Vuitton in 2008, collaborating on lines of sunglasses and jewelry. Beccari continued, “His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and very exciting chapter.”
