Lebo Malope excited to walk for Louis Vuitton with A-listers watching him

SA-born model Lebo Malope will forever cherish A-listers from Beyoncé to Rihanna, Jay Z, Lewis Hamilton, Zendaya, Kim Kardashian and Naomi Campbell watching him as he walked for Pharrell Williams’s debut show for Louis Vuitton Men in Paris on Tuesday.

Lenny Kravitz, John Boyega, A$AP Rocky, Megan Thee Stallion, Willow and Jaden Smith, Tyler The Creator, Jared Leto, Skepta as well as Offset were the other Hollywood stars who came out in numbers to support Williams as he unveiled his debut collection.

Lebo, currently in grade 11, turned 18 last Wednesday and earlier this month made an appearance on the cover of  the Youth issue of SMag with his elder brother Denetric, who is also a model. This was the second time he walked in a show for the French luxury fashion house. Adding Vuitton to the list this season (starting last week in Milan), he has strutted in runway shows for Zegna, JW Anderson and Botter. 

Past seasons, Lebo stunned in shows for Vuitton, Zegna, Anderson, Ami Alexandre Mattiussi, Valentino, Kenzo, Paul Smith, Craig Green, Fendi and Alyx.

“I kind of had a tough time backstage as the coat I was wearing was hot, but it was cool and nice. We [models] were all in good outfits and were happy and excited to be at Louis Vuitton,” Lebo told SMag after the show.

“I couldn’t believe it because this was my second time walking for Louis Vuitton, I was more happy because we had a new designer. [My highlight was] the moment I saw a lot of celebrities because there were a lot of people watching the show. It was nice and exciting and they were very welcoming.”

Since his appointment was announced in February, the debate of whether he would sink or swim dominated the global fashion community, especially following in the footsteps of the late Virgil Abloh. Williams on Tuesday showcased 76 looks over the Pont Neuf bridge, which was paved with the iconic LV Damier checkerboard pattern and is a stone’s throw away from the headquarters.  

Williams’s inspiration was themed lovers, which he wittily weaved throughout the collection by re-imagining the LV motif to LoVe. Further spreading the message of love with a composed song titled Joy (Unspeakable) performed by the Virginia Choir Voice of Fire.  

The highly praised moments of the show were the pixelated camouflage suiting, leather jackets, fur coats and matching accessories. The LV Damier pattern was re-imagined into vibrant biker jackets and leather suiting with shorts and denim blues. A surprising addition to the show were golf carts loaded with camo-inspired luggage.