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Rapper, producer, and artist Tyler, The Creator has announced his first fully-fledged fashion project collaboration with Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton.
Hot off the news that Tyler, The Creator was the best-selling male artist on vinyl in the US last year, he’s just unveiled a new fashion collaboration with Louis Vuitton.
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The collection is a partnership with friend and mentor Pharrell Williams, who was appointed creative director at Louis Vuitton after Virgil Abloh’s passing in 2021. It will be arriving as part of the Spring 2024 collection and includes clothing and accessories such as golf kits, cereal bowls, and even chess boards.
Tyler’s drop includes a hand drawn re-iteration of the Louis Vuitton logo, alongside bright pastel colours and chocolate-esque aesthetics. It is an understated evolution of his already established Le Fleur and Golf Wang brands, which typically tend to be bright and vibrantly blocky in style.
Of course, it’s worth remembering that pretty much everything in the collection will be expensive and outside of any normal person’s budget. However, for those with money to burn, you’ll be able to cop your items of choice from March 21st.
This isn’t Tyler’s first venture with Louis Vuitton, having overseen the soundtrack for Virgil Abloh’s final runway show toward the end of 2022. It is his first fully-fledged fashion venture for the luxury brand, though, and a further example of Pharrell Wiliams championing Black creatives within high-end spaces.
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This is already Pharrell’s fourth collection since he took over as creative director.
His last one was based on the Wild West, where Pharrell explicitly said he wanted to explore and represent cowboy portrayals that we seldom see in the public eye. Speaking to the press, Pharrell explained ‘you never really get to see what some of the original cowboys really look like. They look like us, they look like me, they look Black, they look Native American.’
Pharrell’s promise of pushing Louis Vuitton forward, both commercially and artistically, has so far proven true. His debut collection broke records, garnering more than 1 billion views across all platforms and doubling the amount of viewers from its previous live show. It was also reportedly the highest-selling men’s collection in Louis Vuitton’s history.
While Tyler and Pharrell’s work is helping to modernise high-end luxury brands, it hasn’t come without criticism, particularly as many ordinary folks are struggling to live day-to-day amidst spiralling living costs.
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For example, late last year, Pharrell faced criticism for his $1 million USD Louis Vuitton ‘Millionaire Speedy’ bag that was available to purchase on a made-to-order basis. It comes in yellow, blue, red, green, or brown, and is only on offer to certain, vetted customers. Talk about exclusive.
The bag is put together with crocodile skin. Some commentators and activists, such as Caryn Franklin, described the bag as a ‘brand gimmick and [an] insensitive declaration of global north privilege.’
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Luxury fashion brands often face criticism for being exclusive and for encouraging insensitive consumerist hysteria. Most high-end collection items cost at least several thousand pounds or dollars, and can leave the masses feeling disillusioned with an industry that appears to be a self-satisfying display of unattainable wealth.
These grumbles are not exclusive to fashion, either.
Tyler, The Creator’s recent musical output has garnered criticism from some fans, who complain that he is overly materialistic and obsessed with flexing his achievements. By that same token, Tyler has commented during interviews that other fans, especially those who aren’t white, have seen his success as inspirational proof that Black creators can be successful within the highest spaces.
His latest work with Louis Vuitton will no doubt face both lines of argument.
On the one hand, it can be hard to justify purchasing a chess set or golf club for thousands. But if the market provides space to do so, should we deny Black artists the opportunity to further diversify an industry that seems willing to be more forward-thinking in its collaborations and creative endeavours?
— T (@tylerthecreator) February 21, 2024
There’s no doubt that Pharrell will continue to see huge success with his collections. With luxury prices ever increasing and the wage gap forever widening, it’s also fair to feel a bit of hesitation toward supporting ultra-rich celebrities furthering their net worth.
