Who needs substance anyway. It does not sell, not at Louis Vuitton

The site nearly consumed the show. But that does not matter. Under Pharrell Williams’s watch, Louis Vuitton shows have to be spectacles. To better drown out the insignificance of the clothes? For spring/summer 2025, a year after his equally theatrical debut, Mr Williams continued to sell himself as the biggest showman of menswear, anywhere. He is, after all, first an entertainer, a Happy crowd pleaser. This season, the runway was sited at La Maison de l’UNESCO, in Place de Fontenoy, Paris, on one of the green sectors of the trapezoidal space that hosts the main building in the shape of a three-point star. The show grounds was marked by the unmissable Globe Symbolique. Drones filming the action below showed a massive space that comfortably accommodated guests and models on the grassy runway made more LV by the checkerboard Damier effect. In the distance, the Tour Eiffel commanded a striking view.

There is no denying that the staging was impressive. What better place to reach a global audience than the agency linked to the United Nations itself. The flags of nations of the world were there, and with them as part of the backdrop, LV was also aligning itself with the biggest show of them all, the upcoming Olympics. For a performance worthy of the Olympics opening ceremony, it was made quite the song and strut of a show, much like the Pont Neuf extravaganza of a year ago. An American gospel choir was flown in. Their emotive chorusing was accompanied by a live orchestra. A marching band was sent out for good measure. Uplifting was the soundtrack, which included Mr Williams’s own Triumphus Cosmos, suggesting everything is good if the world came together. There is something inspiring about the intended reach. But wouldn’t you need to be really commercial to aim to be massively popular?

It was not enough to reach out globally (or be the maison culturelle that LV desires to be) of course. Mr Williams wanted his collection to be, as he told the media, “homage to human beings (some quote him saying “mankind”)”. The world population was projected to be 8,019,876,189, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Mr Williams sure dreamt big. The collection, Le Monde Est À Vous (The World is Yours in French), could be, in terms of ambition, targeted at a worldwide audience, but aesthetically, it did seem to focus on a Black hip-hop performing and loving crowd. In fact, the first 28 of the total 81 looks were worn by Black men (that is nearly 35 percent to start). The sum is varied, meaning inclusive, which also showed that ho-hum varsity jackets (even with a print of the globe) and hoodies (even monogrammed) deserved spots on the runway. It is hard to see if Mr Williams did have that many ideas for this many looks for one show, but it was a serious attempt to be un-boring,

We still see pixelated Damier and its colourful kin, as well as the monogrammed, the printed, the embroidered, the appliquéd that could lend something to the generally basic menswear staples (some, such as a trenchcoat and a few suits, were thankfully left on their credible own) spun around the concept of travel (velvet—or was it velour—tracksuit?), an LV selling point. If Nicolas Ghesquière were to approach LV womenswear similarly, his recent contract renewal would not have been inked. With nothing much to say about design, many of Mr Pharrell’s supporters go on and on about the quality of the clothes (isn’t that a given?). Or the marvelousness of more monogrammed or Damier bags. But even the new, smallish Millionaire Speedy, which Williams carried to saunter down the runway to bask in the post-finale adoration showered by his guests, was all flash rather than dash. That walk, which, again, was the longest any designer would take on a runway, was indicative of how LV overwhelms the world: prologue the hype.

Screen shot (top) louisvuitton/YouTube. Photos: Louis Vuitton