Pharrell designed for Louis Vuitton 19 years before he ran it
In 2004 Marc Jacobs, then creative director at Louis Vuitton, called a music producer about sunglasses. "Marc had seen a few pictures of me in sunglasses," Pharrell told WWD. He and Nigo designed the Millionaires. Retail: $1,200.
- File
- 0004
- Year
- 2004 → 2023
- Category
- Fashion
- Filed in
- Fashion
The hook
In 2004 Marc Jacobs, then creative director at Louis Vuitton, called a music producer about sunglasses. "Marc had seen a few pictures of me in sunglasses," Pharrell told WWD. He and Nigo designed the Millionaires. Retail: $1,200.
The Frame
Aviator shape, monogram-printed gold bands across the brow, enamelled S-lock hinges, loud acetate. Pharrell called sunglasses "a steroid to your personality."
"One part Tony Montana, one part Notorious B.I.G."
What was happening
The door was opening
Jacobs was already inviting outsiders in: Stephen Sprouse's graffiti monogram, Takashi Murakami's color. Pharrell and Nigo were building Billionaire Boys Club. Streetwear and a heritage house were in the same room, years before that was normal.
The detail people forgot
The shades were his audition
The Millionaires were his first design for the house. "The whole project is a total reflection of them giving me a chance," he told WWD in 2004. In February 2023 Louis Vuitton named him men's creative director.
Why it matters now
For their 20th anniversary in 2024, he reissued the Millionaires from inside the house: the original shape, plus a carbon-fiber 3.0. The sunglasses that got him in the door came back under his own collection.
The audition became the job.
Words: LSMG Editorial.
