“His eyes are 3D. One is looking at spreadsheets and the other is looking at culture. And when he mixes them together, he gets this three-dimensional understanding of how the world is working and how it will work. And we do this too: we have predictive conversations,” said Pharrell Williams (Louis Vuitton Men’s Creative Director) of Bernard Arnault (Founder and CEO of LVMH). gq Last month.
That foresight is coming to fruition this week as the 2024 edition of Art Basel Miami and the broader Miami Art Week open for business. Since Arnault joined forces with Miami-born developer Craig Robbins 15 years ago, he has seen the Magic City emerge as a luxury hotspot and convergence point for everyone from crypto whales to contemporary artists. Factor in Miami’s cultural interconnectedness with Latin America, and the result is one of America’s most dynamic and cosmopolitan urban centers.
This collection was partly designed to ride that wave. After his first pre-fall mission hong kongPharrell Williams headlines Voyage, Voyage, Voyage Miami-Ward. Even without the show going on this season, the narrative was clearly defined. The first section was depicted by a horizon and sunset background, and was designed around the notion of travel by transatlantic liner from France to Florida. The second part with a beach background is very loose, representing the day-to-night resort wardrobe for the LV man once he lands.
Another focus of Williams’s identity here is the upcoming exhibition “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. Williams, who co-chaired that show’s inaugural Met Gala, has made sartorial space-taking a pillar of his practice since landing at Vuitton. Here he introduced his trademark tailored silhouettes – cropped boxy jackets and kicky pants – into elegant evening and day suits with a dramatic and distinctly 1920s flâneur-inflected twist. Double-breasted kimono-sweaters and shawl collar robes made for a charming dandy alternative to fully formed jackets in evening looks, coming with pearl button details and oyster-shaped clutch bags. Details were inspired by the upholstery and included quilted leather, a new “denimbellish” construction, needle-punched flock monogram finish and a boat-themed “Regatta” monogram. The season’s moire signature was extended to denim and a striking green Alcantara blouson.
