The fashion world were welcomed to UNESCO headquarters, ahead of Paris' Olympic summer.
Words SOPHIE WANG
With his latest show as Men’s Creative Director, Pharrell Williams is officially finding his footing — and putting his artistic mark on Louis Vuitton. As a visionary with a skill for world-building, he has approached the role in a multi-dimensional manner — focusing in equal parts on the musical composition, set design, and theatrics as the looks themselves. And for the Spring/Summer 2025 collection, it feels that he has come into the perfect balance that lets his overarching story shine through with equal attention to nuanced details in texture, colour and silhouette.
The story — one that feels grandiose and macro in its nature — is a celebration of humans on Earth through a galactic, disconnected yet perhaps therefore unbiased view. Zooming out to see the planet’s inhabitants from the solar system, the collection reflects on the ideas that unite us all — regardless of language, country, or background. Though at a closer inspection, it proved to focus as much on the nuances that make individuals individual as the overarching common ground that connect us all.
And as international guests congregated on the rooftop of La Maison de l’UNESCO with a vast view of Paris, Williams reminded us of fashion’s innate ability to connect individuals — and Louis Vuitton’s undeniable synonymity to travel.
Of course, silhouettes take inspiration from classic voyager archetypes, from the pilot and the diplomat to the explorer and even the jet-setting athlete. Cropped tailored jackets, flight suits, embroidery on formalwear, leisure tracksuits and sportswear all merge under one umbrella of the unification of excursion. Zooming in, the styles are ripe with their own details — from buttons adorned with the world map and airplane pins to pearl and crystal embellishments. What appears monochrome from a distance becomes crystal clear in variation with a closer look.
See the SS25 collection, below...