Louis Vuitton’s walk of fame

«Bonsoir». He speaks French, but Jared Leto does not go unnoticed, who responds peacefully with his Joker green hair to the swarm of star-busting cameras that have arrived at the location chosen by Pharrell for his Louis Vuitton menswear debut. Mobile phones ignite for the 1,400 guests which include Beyoncé with Jay-Z, Rihanna, Naomi Campbell, and Lenny Kravitz, Zendaya, Kim Kardashian and Maluma, creating a line-up reminiscent of the Grammys or the Super bowl. Barack and Michelle Obama were also present, and the former Us President also took the runway, a coup the theatre that was cancelled for security reasons. There was no confirmation of course, but the urban legend has ben fueled hour after hour. Guests arrived in bateaux mouche along the Seine at Pont Neuf, painted gold for the occasion, for a runway like the Wizard of Oz right in front of Bernard Arnault’s fashion headquarters and the Samaritaine because Pharrell Williams decided to convey the spirit of the Lvmh maison with a big event.

Like Emily, Pharrell is in Paris with his musical coolness and his parterre of friends. On the runway in front of them, the deluxe street vision takes the stage, marrying crocodiles and pearls, logo-carved fur, and digitalized camo patterns. Pixelated as new damiers, because dna is important as evidenced by outings with mini transporters and metalized trunks. Reflections mitigated by sunglasses like those worn by a special model, designer Stefano Pilati in pleated shorts. All topped off by a soundtrack of a song written for the occasion, Peace Be Still by Pharrell Williams featuring Lang Lang. Finally, the new designer came down the runway to sing in a surprise concert together with Jay-Z after the show.

What to add? It comes full circle. Lips are also sealed on the surely stellar budget for the mega event that enshrined one of the high points of the super rising trend, «fashiontainment». Fashion show with the real show, between music, entertainment, and celebrities. The classic fashion show takes off and turns into an iconic moment. Probably it took loads of millions of euros of investment, if we think of bridges in Paris closed to traffic and a deluge of vips brought on stage. Then again, competitors today at a certain level are no longer just fashion cousins, but global giants accustomed to earthquakes in communication. As Bernard Arnault himself had stated, Louis Vuitton’s sales have exceeded 20 billion euros (see MFF of April 21). Aiming high. As they say, there will be no more half seasons or even half measures.

Judgment. Happy. The famous single was not sung by Pharrell in his surprise concert but will be sung at Louis Vuitton. The fashion house kept its promises, as finding a successor to Virgil Abloh was not easy and it really turned up the volume with Pharrell. Divisive. According to purists, the event cannibalizes fashion. According to visionaries, it is the next step of a mega brand. It represents a new vision and in fact it would make no sense to stop the evolution. (All rights reserved)