Source: Dave Kotinsky / Getty
Rihanna and Pharrell are collaborating – but on fashion, not her long-delayed, much-anticipated R9 album.
The duo is linking up on the ad campaign for Pharell’s debut as the creative director of menswear for Louis Vuitton.
Pharrell announced the collaboration on his Instagram, standing in front of a billboard of the pregnant singer carrying multiple classic Louis bags and a to-go coffee cup. Pharrell will introduce his collection to open Men’s Fashion Week in Paris on June 20.
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The French fashion house confirmed that the photo kicks off its Spring/Summer 2024 campaign starring Rihanna but didn’t explain why a woman leads the men’s campaign. Perhaps Pharrell is creating a gender-neutral line?
Pharell is not new to the Vuitton brand. In 2004, he worked on a sunglasses collection called The Millionaire with LV and Nigo.
His appointment as creative director was announced back in February, with Louis Vuitton CEO Pietro Beccari excited to see what the two could cook up with a more fleshed-out collaborative deal.
“I am glad to welcome Pharrell back home, after our collaborations in 2004 and 2008 for Louis Vuitton, as our new Men’s Creative Director,” Beccari said in a statement. “His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and very exciting chapter.”
This is the only clue so far about what the collection may look like, but Pharell has some tough shoes to fill. He succeeds the late Virgil Abloh as LV’s lead creative. Under Abloh’s watch, the classic line expanded its imagery to become much more inclusive, as seen in this video for the men’s Fall/Winter 2021 show starring Yaasin Bey, Saul Williams and Kai Isaiah Jamal.
As for R9, Rihanna announced that she’d be working on it with Pharell in 2020, but since then, few updates have been provided about the project. Rihanna’s last album was 2016’s Anti.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to Pharrell getting the late Abloh’s old gig:
