Paris Fashion Week looks to future with Pharrell Williams debut

The debut of multi-talented star Pharrell Williams at Louis Vuitton is the hottest ticket at Paris Fashion Week as it kicks off tomorrow, seen as a significant moment in the evolution of the multi-billion-dollar industry.

The renowned musician, DJ and producer takes over as artistic director for the fabled French brand, hoping to build on the shift towards U.S. streetwear that helped it achieve more than 20 billion euros ($22 billion) in revenue for the first-time last year. Williams offered a teaser on social media, sharing a photo of himself in front of the Orsay Museum featuring a giant billboard of singer Rihanna, heavily pregnant and sporting some colorful LV bags.

"It's unprecedented for a label at this level, a designer arriving with a first menswear campaign that features a woman... He is giving us an early taste," said Pierre Alexandre M'Pele, editor of GQ France. The 50-year-old faces a major challenge filling the shoes of Virgil Abloh, the former Kanye West sidekick who breathed new streetwear-infused life into Louis Vuitton prior to his tragically early death from cancer in 2021.

But Williams has long been a red-carpet sensation, known for daring outfits that go far beyond the usual hip-hop stylings, and a string of collaborations with Chanel, Moncler and Tiffany - as well as Louis Vuitton.

"Williams has been living in hip-hop, and looking into the future, for more than 20 years, a valuable perspective for a luxury men's wear world that has already absorbed hip-hop and is hoping to divine what might come next," the New York Times wrote after his appointment.

Williams's arrival comes at a time when men's fashion feels like the more exciting side of the industry.

"Men's fashion took years to find fertile ground...