Strap up your cowboy boots because Louis Vuitton’s latest menswear collection has just ridden into town! This rodeo runway rampage was held in Paris, designed exclusively by Pharrell Williams. This show marked Pharrell’s second menswear collection with the brand since becoming creative director last year. Beyond bedazzled belts and “cowmooflage”, this collection celebrated the roots of American culture and Native American influence in the wild wild west.
The show opened at the Jardin d’Acclimatation with projected displays of tumbleweed filled deserts surrounding the room. The collection began by showcasing rancher-inspired suits featuring fringed jackets and turquoise buttons; as the west got more wild, so did the couture. Pharrel began to turn models into true ranchers through bold pant suits and blouses that depicted something out of the world of Jake Cahil’s Bounty Law. One of the most notable pieces brought to life from this collection was a bedazzled leather jacket featuring Vegas inspired imagery that was titled “Vuitton Motel.” However, the collection’s accessories were the true sheriff in town. Intricate conchos spelling out “LV” graced the waists of nearly every model on the runway. Additionally, models wheeled out Louis Vuitton trunks on wagons like stacks of hay, further proving that accessories can take on a life of their own.
Outside of the lavish couture, this collection celebrated Native American culture. The show opened and closed with performances by Native Voices of Resistance, who serenaded viewers with a reminder of the roots of American culture and way of life. Designing for a French fashion house, Pharrel wanted viewers to understand the basis of not only his creativity, but the root of the land he is from. “When you see cowboys portrayed you see only a few versions. You never really get to see what some of the original cowboys looked like. They looked like us, they looked like me. They looked Black. They looked Native American.” (Vogue) While this may be one short stop in town for Williams, we can expect that this won’t be his last American rodeo.
