Mzansi fashionistas unpack Louis Vuitton’s polarising appointment of Pharrell
‘Brands need creative directors who are storytellers’
American rapper and producer Pharrell Williams’s appointment as creative director of menswear for Louis Vuitton has been met with polarising views in the global fashion ecosystem.
The 13-time Grammy winner is stepping into a highly contested and weighted position with expectations to supersede the late Virgil Abloh.
Commenting on the appointment, the French luxury house’s chairman and CEO Pietro Beccari said: “His creative vision behind fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and very exciting chapter.”
In a roundtable discussion leaders in Mzansi fashion unpack the controversial appointment:
David Tlale, fashion designer
I’m not sure if this is a stunt because Pharrell has 40-million followers that LVMH is after or if his appointment is purely based on creative direction. But the questions are what does this mean for those who go to fashion school or have experience? Or can anyone wake up and become a designer because they have creative flair? Is the design and creative industry being taken for a ride?
Image: Pascal Le Segretain
There are many people that have been working to try and become a creative director of a brand. In the past, you should have worked with and been assistant to a creative director of any big brand, understanding the DNA, understanding the history, understanding where the trends are. Is this the new way of appointing creative directors as the fashion industry? On the other hand, LVMH want to fill the big shoes of Virgil. Who are we to decide or even judge him before he presents his first collection in June? We are all waiting to see what he will serve and based on that we will be able to see if he has what it takes.
Ephraim Molingoana, fashion designer, Ephymol
Not all trained designers can actually be designers. I am not a trained designer; I never went to design school but here I am. I have a brand that has been in existence for over 22 years and it’s still going strong. Creativity doesn’t always have to be about schooling. Pharrell is one of those artists.
Image: Dominique Charriau
Felipe Mazibuko, fashion stylist, SMag
Pharrell has had a very interesting and profound interest in the global fashion industry, both as a great style icon and influencer as well as creative collaborator for major brands from Chanel accessories to Adidas. With inclusivity being the buzz word in the global fashion stakes, any black person in a position of creative power is a plus for young black creatives at large not only as black consumers being top tier in consuming and buying luxury brands. I hope Pharell takes on this position with integrity and consideration of the black masses and consumers in mind.
Sharon Armstrong, fashion director, SMag
I don’t believe we should eliminate Pharrell’s creative integrity because he doesn’t come across as a designer. He has done incredible collaborations; he has his own jewelry line. He is not foreign to the world of design and it speaks to LV ethos. They are not looking for a designer, they are looking for a cultural powerhouse which Virgil Abloh was. They wanted to find someone who could do everything that Virgil did, that had their hands in arts, cinema, music and portraiture.
Image: Kristy Sparow
Shaldon Kopman, fashion designer, Naked Ape
Pharrell has the right profile, he is at the right location, he supports the eco-state of the fashion industry, he appears to be very grounded and most importantly he has the passion. You can put together a group of skilled designers, but you need someone who has a very clear vision. Sometimes, like myself, in this industry when you haven’t been trained or institutionalised you have a limitless approach to how you design and think.
Thando Ntuli, fashion designer, Munkus
He will give it something new and with social media’s thirst for newness he can deliver on that. A lot of these fashion houses are stuck in their traditional lanes and times have changed. Since Virgil we have this hope that Pharrell will bring something new that will connect to the youth of today. I believe that he would have the same success or impact that Virgil had with LV and Kanye West had with Adidas.
Mpumelelo Dhlamini, fashion designer, Ezokhetho
Virgil opened up the platform for a lot of creatives, especially people of colour. But I would have been more excited to see someone like a Grace Wales Bonner (emerging English fashion designer) take up the role because they are quite influential when it comes to menswear. It also would have been a great thing for LVMH as it would have been the first time, they appoint a woman of colour as creative director of one of their brands.
Image: Dominique Charriau
Mzukisi Mbane, fashion designer, Imprint ZA
He and Virgil both have a street style influence, but Pharrell’s view is different. Going for an African American designer, it will still allow the brand to tap into other cultural stories without appropriating it, but be more of a collaborative effort, which is the direction of the world right now.
Craig Jacobs, fashion designer, Fundudzi
I do grasp at the not-so-favourable reaction to Pharrell’s appointment. On a personal level I do remember similar criticism when I decided to make the jump from media to fashion. If you drill deeper, you will see that Pharrell does have a thorough background in fashion entrepreneurship and creativity. What this is showing is that the days of the designer only adept with technical skills is no longer enough. Brands need creative directors who are storytellers.
Image: Dominique Charriau
Hangwani Nengovhela, fashion designer, Rubicon
It is a two-sided perspective which can be seen as a double-edged sword. First perspective is driven by LVMH profit maximisation and the second perspective is about artistic fluidity and social influence and awareness. It will be more about pushing sales and not the meaning behind the origin and art of fashion.