Pharell Williams - Louis Vuitton's new top designer
When the spring sun starts to appear, many people immediately pull out their shorts from their winter closets.
But the temperatures don't always move at the pace you'd like. The solution? A warm hoodie. It's also the clothing of choice for many celebrities. Hoodies and shorts are often associated with stars like Justin Bieber and Harry Styles. But there is an uncrowned king of the hoodie and shorts combo: Pharrell Williams.
He likes to wear this combination when he performs in concert. Whether it's at a local music festival or in giant stadiums around the world. He does the same when he's in the studio recording new songs. It's also his first choice when he attends events. Although on special occasions, he may keep the shorts and swap the hoodie for a white shirt, bow tie and tuxedo jacket. However, the hoodie goes back on as soon as everyday life sets in. A stylish look that's perfect for lounging on the couch or riding around on a motorcycle in the vicinity of Pharrell's home in Coral Gables, Florida.
The ever-stylish Pharrell Williams has undoubtedly found an outfit template he likes. But to be fair, it's not necessarily his attire that has made him what he is today. Since the 90s, he has been a crucial voice on the American music scene. An artist who has had an immeasurable influence on the sound of modern music. Both as a hip-hop artist and in the R&B genre. In fact, he has won 13 Grammy Awards. Three times he has even been named Producer of the Year. And twice he has been nominated for an Oscar for the song Happy (2014) in the movie Cruel Me and in 2017 as producer of the Hidden Figures soundtrack.
Throughout his career, he has been in several different bands. But it all started in high school when he and his friends formed a hip hop group called Surrounded by Idiots. They never got around to recording any albums. That didn’t happen until he formed the R&B band The Neptunes with Shay Haley and Mike Etheridge. Together they entered a high school music competition and were spotted by producer Teddy Riley, whose studio was practically next door to their high school. They signed their first contract with him almost before the ink was dry on their diplomas. Throughout the 90s, Pharrell Williams wrote and produced tracks for the American rap community. But also, for the big stars. For example, he wrote Britney Spears' I'm a Slave 4 U and Boys, both of which were on her third solo album Britney in 2001. More recently, he also worked with Madonna on her eleventh album Hard Candy (2008).
Although he released his first solo album In My Mind in 2005, it wasn't until his work in the films Cruel Me I+II that his big break came. Since then, he has successfully composed scores for major films such as The Amazing SpiderMan 2. But it is as a producer that he has achieved his greatest successes.
The fashion world
Despite a life in the music world, he has put a lot of energy into making a name for himself in the international fashion world. As early as 2005, he entered a partnership with Japanese fashion icon Nigo. Together they created popular streetwear brands such as Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Creame Footwear. Three years later, he co-designed an eyewear line and jewelry for Louis Vuitton.
Overall, he has had both skill and success in creating new collaborations with major international fashion brands. Design brands such as Moncler, G-Star Raw and Adidas have all been on his business card over the past 20 years. For example, in 2017 he designed a pair of sneakers for Adidas in collaboration with fashion house Chanel. The original price tag was around 1,000 euros, a price they still reach today in online auctions.
Pharrell Williams made his biggest leap into the fashion world last year when he was offered the job as creative director of Louis Vuitton's men's lines. Just a few months after taking the job, he showed his first collection at Paris Men's Fashion Week.
It was a dazzling display of splendor and grandeur as his collection was presented in a fashion show on the Pont Neuf against the backdrop of the Seine. The bridge was covered in pixelated golden checks. A design element that is echoed in a suit created in a pixelated camouflage textile, which he has dubbed damoflage, alluding to his new mix between Pharrell design and Louis Vuitton's design heritage.
The private Pharrell
Pharrell Williams turns 51 this spring. April 5th to be exact. He has a reputation for being quite loyal. Not least to his wife, whom he has known almost all his life. They got married in 2013. Their first son, Rocket, was born in 2008. And in 2017, they had not one, but three little stragglers. "One child is a challenge. But three? That's a triple challenge," he has said in an interview.
He is also known for his youthful appearance, which some magazines have featured again and again. Perhaps that's why he's grown a moustache at the age of 50.
Pharrell is obsessed with skateboards and has installed a large skateboarding rink in his Los Angeles mansion, where he lived until a few years ago. He now resides in Coral Gables, Florida.